The Iuka vidette. (Iuka, Miss.) 1894-1912, 1895-01-17
A COMPLICATED CONVERSION,
Or How the Cannibsl Chief Put Away His
Twelve Mivcs.

i
Or How the Cannibsl Chief Put Away His
| Twelve Wives.
That evening the venerable mission
airy, Jean Baptist Sails, better known
as the Pere Blanc, experienced great
apostolic joy.
The Pere Blanc, whose mission was
among the negroes of Kou Nassin, sit
uated near Dahomey, had just learned
that the chief of this savage tribe,
SakienloLae, with whom he had long
labored vainly, had at last decided to
be baptized.
1t must not be supposed that this
sudden religious ardor had taken pos
session of the black sheep-I mean the
black chief-as the result of any such
spiritual considerations as would have
had weight with civilized backsliders.
| The fact is that Sakienko-Lae had ac-
cidentally been present at a special
service which the good father had
held few days before under the palm
trees and had gone into ecstacies over
wonderful gold-embroidered chasu-
BILE which the eloquent missionary had
worn.
'If you will give me your yellow
/
interpreter, ~ will let you pour wate<
on my head as you did on that proud
warrior Sicambre two moons ago"
The missionary could not part with
his chasuble, even in so good cause,
but he said
"Your majesty will understand that
| can not give up my priestly vest
ments, but if YOU will be baptized
promise you the thrce-cornered hat of
a French general"
Good" grunted the Saklenko. sit is
bargain and he tapped maiestically
upon his well-rounded stomach, that
being sign of his royal approval.
The bargain being concluded the
Pere Blame said, with u serious air
Now that your majesty is converted,
you must enter the monogamic state.
At present you have twelve wives who
are the JOY of your heart, but l may
not baptize you until you get rid of
eleven of these. All the texts. the
canons, the popes and the councils are
agreed on this point. 1t is hard for
you, know; but come, sire, make the
effort. After all, as the saying is : "A
single woman sufficeth for a single
man. f"
Sakicnkos soul was plunged in sad
ness. What, must he give up eleven of
; the twelve dusky beauties who had
made his life a heaven, and content
himself with single wife? The more
he thought of it the more impossible
such a remuneration appeared to him.
How can you expect me, reverend
father to choose single one among
my dozen domestic joys? You have not
gazed upon them or you would not inn
poseoupon me such a terrible condition.
Listen! Three of my wives ] inherited
from my father, whom we ate with
filial devotion one day when his grow
ing infirmities rendered life unbeara
bic to him. These three have passed
the thirty-year point and their faces
are drawn with wrinkles like a spiders
web. But they know how to prepare
dishes which tempt my jaded appetite
and they give remedies which bring
me relief when | am down with indi-
gestion. Three other wives captured
in war from neighboring tribes; they
had been the wives of illustrious chief
tains and came to me with sobs and
tears which time has Gained. There
/
by my loving people on my last birth
day. Hardly have they reached their
fifteenth year, and, like timid gazelles,
their eyes shine ever as with tears, and
my image alone fills their hearts. The
last three are mere children, and as
they laugh and play around me they
seem like frightened lizards, running
about in the sand. They bring me
gayety when / am sad, for black kings
know what sorrow is"
With these words Sakienko let his
head fall sadly and all the brass chains
and rings and bracelets ratified against
his ebony skin. Then he withdrew
and for fifteen days did not leave his
gourbi, where he sat with his legs
crossed, smoking and thinking.
One night he sought the good father
and said:
II have done what you demanded.
The missionary sprung up joyfully.
"What2 You have put away eleven
of your wives?'
81 have put away the whole dozen
and have just married new one
These words enchanted the Pere
Blanc.
What" he exclaimed, "did your
majesty do with the twelve other
ones?n
The countenance of Sakienko-L Lac
was study as he replied:
II could not bear the thought of
abandoning these dear ones. Left
alone, .thev would have been wretched,
or, married again, l would have been
madly jealous. So ! sacrificed the
three youngest and ate them a La
broche.. The three gazelles had served
ON my table la marinade, and they
were excellent. The three wives of
| illustrious. chieftains | ate cold, and
finally | cooked my fathers three wives
in a delicious stew with rice and
kouskoussou. And now that | have