Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-20

yours but I'm going to pull him out of this
| mess for all that, and give him good leve
start again on dry land.
Then as the crocodile jumped once more,
he threw up his rifle and shot it under the
left foreleg, where the protective plates are
absent.
The brute jumped and writhed and
swan away amid cascades OF golden spray
and as the bullet was soft-nosed and eX-
panding there would probably be, before
| many more hours were over. one less PEST
in Africa. But Carter did not worry his
head about that. He padded the dugout to
| the tree and called to the king.
His majesty of Okky was fat. and though
| once he had been giant in strength, In
! these latter years of kingship he had grown
| soft and flabby. He did all his journey1nss
| in hammock and canoe. and had slaves who
saved him the smallest scrap of exercise;
and. moreover he ate and drank TO vast
excess. So that when the immediate strain
| was over 1t can be understood how he hung
| in the upper branches of that tree too limp
and exhausted even to lower hlmself into
| the canoe Carter had to climb onto the
branch and bear hand before ne coulo se'
down.
The dugout sank perilously beneath his
weight but the king was no amateur and
| balanced cannily. Moreover, presently he
| painted himself into articulate speech. I I'll
| for GIN" said the King of Okky.
Il bet YOU are Garter agreed. But I'M
| fortunately the bar on this packets closed
| for want of supplies just at the moment
Try sup Of the local ditch water out OF
| the baler." 49,
| The King did SO, and made a face. 81
| have not drunk water since l became
king" said he. 20 Carter. do not turn ur
stream l have men at village down yon-
| der"
Il don't doubt it, But having saved your
| skin, king I've my own to think of now"
The kings great body began to shake
with laughter.
stop that" said Carter sharply, 'or
gInw2!pS
20 Carter" said kallee, speaking IN
Okky, listen. 1t is only by my favor that
you have lived so long. We are poth JUN
men, and between such 1t Is useless 10
make pretense But can tell you all you
did since you left Mokki, and met Smith
, and went to the cliff whereof ben Hosseln
told YOU and saw the stones which carry
| the brown glass which you coVet SO mucn.
I can tell you of your machine which says
boo-paa- bumm, and of the way you cane
down these creeks on raft, and now you
| labored prodigiously in the blind cnahhg n
7 had arranged to let you get so 1ar 10
morrow when you came abreast or my VII.
| lagos, canoes would have come out
| Here the king screwed round his fat neck
and eyed Carter over ms shoulueI,-
Carter. do you think it strange that
should have wanted a head such as yours :!
You would not tell me this now you
still wanted that head
One could not deny that somehow the
| man had a certain regal dignity about him
so Carter" he said, IF l have KING
lusts. I have all of kings gratitude
was travelling down this river. My canoe
was overturned by a snag, and it ana the
paddlers were swept away down stream
and II the crocodiles have not dealt WIN
the men I will give them their due pres
| entity. For myself, I climbed into that tree
as you saw, and could not have endureo
longer. What account was open between
rs we will wipe from the tally: owe
Won nv life now and 1 will repay.
Are my krooboy and the fishers included
in the treaty.? 50,
The king shrugged his great shoulders Il
could give you better servant than w hite-
Man's-Trouble, and better paddlers than
those fishermen. But IL they please you
they shall remain alive and well treated
Paddle now quickly down stream to the VII
Isage 0 Carter, and we Will drink kruS
champagne till goat is slain and chop
prepared.
The village when they came to it. was
not a pleasant sight. 1t had been rebelllous
and the King of Okky had been instillipg
discipline with strong hand. Further
more, two of his caneemen had escaped
from the river and reported that the king
was drowned. They were also attended to
in q way that prevented their ever erring
again in this world. The king dispensed
champagne and arranged great matters of
life and death with a massive impartiality.
And between whites he found abundant
time to talk with his guest, now using
coast English for the sake of greater pri-