The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-01-06

ones boaSted to West African official
that he could put 10000 apenrmen into
the field, but there la no doubt thot this
was an overestimate. Moreover many OF
the Okky troops carried fiintlock guns
and matchets In place OF the spear, and
others again were bownlen, and still 9th
ers welded tho Dahomey axo. But his
Majesty was n parvenu king who had
fought his way to the throne, and he
Haw to 1t that there was no inef'lccncy
in his war office. He made the conditions
OF service sufficiently pleasant to tempt
in the fighting Moslemin from the Hausn
country, and these flne soldiers of fortune
gave the needful stiffening to his own
pagan lovies.
Then, ALSO the King OF Okky made full
Use OF the great cult OF Ju-ju. Tho ave-
rago West African king is completely
under tho thumb Of the ju-ju men. and
if he is not actually their nominee and
puppet, he knows that II he runs mt all
counter to their wishes and policy. he
will die some frantic death devised by
| the cleverest posoners on earth. But
King Kallee the First was not only king
OF Okky, but he WAS also Head Ju-1u
man OF that mysterious state. or as II
Is sometimes written. Head Witcl-Doc-
tor. He could, when he chose. hale
| subject from his dwelling and pin him to
the Okky City crucilxlon tree for no
further reason than his kingly will. He
could also cause piece of flutterng
! rag or bunch OF hens feathers TO be
| tied above subjects Intel, and that
subject and all his household would not
| dare to pass the charm; nor would any
one else dare to have communion with
| them: so that In the end they would die
Of hunger and thirst and become pesti-
| lence to the community among whom
| they had lived; and no one thought OF
raising the breath OF objection. The
! King had put ju-ju on one OF his own
subjects, and that was all
Moreover tie King having set eyes on
Laura Slade, wished TO install her In a
wing of the great mud palace OF Okky
as his wife. 50 far, throughout life.
when he had created WISH fulflment
followed as n matter of course. be the
means what they might In his demands
| for Laura Kallee was at times amazed
at his own moderation. He mad APP
preached Slade (who to him was the giris
| proprietary just as ono native gentleman
might approach another, and iHauired her
[ price Slade, who could not give
! decisive answer even to such prepos-
| ferrous matter rs this Imported after
| his ,,s,al custom. The King naturally
| saw In this n scheme to enhance the sltl
| price and displayed royal munincehce.
| He would pay Slade thousand punch
! cons of palm oil and a thousand pags
| OF rubber and two thousand bags Oh
| kernels: and when Slade waived this
aside and spoke OF his daughters rciuc-
| lance for matrimony. Kallee spoke OF
| the splendor in which his chief queen
| would live Slaves In all abundance,
cloth MS fine as silk, ornaments OF soia,
| and an American alarm clock should oe
| hers: her food should be coos-cousoo OF
| the finest, her drink should be HeidSiech
! OF vintage year exclusively All me
/ L.. ha
| her approval and even his two brass
| cannon should be housed in her apart
| ments The King showed himself to
| be the royal lover In lavish perfection.
| and Siade could not bring himself to cut
| short the Offer and tell him that the
| whole thing was Impossible. He tenn
| porized and congratulated himself each
| time the matter came up on having soI
| rid of the King without rupture OF t''eH
| friendly relations.
| However. the royal patience, which had
never been strung out to such length
| before reached its breaking strain mat
| day at Malia-Nula under circumstances
| already recorded and what the kihs
could not obtain by this new diplomacy
he very naturally made up his fniho 70
| get hold of by methods which were MO- .
| native 20 his experience.
BEING moreover a strategist with soou
deal OF sound elementary skill, he did
not give tho enemy time to orins y.
| reinforcements after the first news Vi
danger. Kwakas embassy was recon
noitering expedition as much as any
thing, and the detail that the oraAei'
Kwaka should be scared out OF his seven
senses by the man whose red head the
King had already ordered for palace
ornament. was a small thing which stood
beyond his calculation. force OF 5oO
picked men lay in bivouac bare fivs
miles inland from the factory: the ju-lu
signs on the bush roads protected these
from all espionage; and when night zen.
n iu-iu man who was the Kings special
envoy performed a ceremony which he
said, and which they understood. granted
the soldiers n special dispensation against
those ghosts which gil West African ma
J tives know haunt the darkness. SO they
advanced to the attack through the gloom
, of the steamins forest shades, those OF
them who were pagans with high spirit
and fine hopes of loot, and those of them
who were Moslemin filled with vague
fear which they cleaned from Kwaka's
hints.
Now Carter did not fall into the usual
Englishmans trick Of despislng his enc
my. Indeed he had that figure OF 20,nCO
fighting men firmly lodged in his head
and short OF the opportune arrival OF a
British gunboat. expected sooner or later
a furious fight. But he reckoned thi1
Kwaha would have to go back to Okky
City with his report, and afterwards re-
turn from thence with an attacking force
and he counted also on the Africans
, fear OF ghosts, and looked with confdenc2
to no disturbance during tho hours 81
> darkness.
, So although he worked the sweating
, factory hands at high pressure In Pill
r ing up puncheons and cases. and bales
, OF cloth. and sacks of salt into sub
i stantial breastwork, he went to bed him
/ self that night and felt, as he tucked
/ in the edge of the MOSQUITO bar, that few
white men on the Coast had ever earne'
, better spell of sleep
t 1t was at A. NJ. when the Okky ye'
: and the cash OF a volley of pot-leg woke
t him, and he leaped UP and through IN:
gauze in one jump He ran out onto thu
Y veranda. and met there Laura Slade' sht
was dressed. and had In her hand thu
cheap skipton revolver Which he had CIV
en- her. and towards the purchase OF Whicf
his father had once contributed hard-to
spare ten shillings out of the whole hal
Il r,,i,a, that If cost. Moonlight poured