Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-19
By 7. CUTCLIFFE HYNE.
doesn't cover that I'll apologize some more
Copyright. 1906, 5y ]. Cutcline Hyne.)

| doesn't cover that. I'll apologize some more
| for calling you niger. Furthermore,
| didn't know that you claimed to be gen.
| tleman not that gentlity is any excuse for
| not carrying out ones job here on the
| coast"
| Senior you are handsome, and 1 agree
| with you that here in Africa we are ALA
workmen and must suffer If the work-a is
not well done
Well said Carter impatiently lis that
the lot? To my simple British mind your
reasons for wanting to shoot me seem
| pretty thin so far i suppose you are mad
at my basting you this morning. but If you
! think the circumstances out coolly l. sure
| you'll see that we've women's lives to think
| of here as well our own, and by letting
| the niggers you were overseeing scamp
| their work whilst you Were dreaming over
| a cigarette you were risking the safety OF
| the fort
! Senior do you know of what-a l was
dreaming?"
| Private affairs probably, but anyway of
| something immate ral."
| pardon, but l must tell-a you my dream
| ing. 1t was of a womans life | dreamed.
| Carter laughed shortly. Il think you had
better leave it al that 1t sticks in my mind
| that the three Portuguese ladies in this
| factory at Mokki are all officially protected
| by their lawful husbands, and don't want
| to hear any embarrassing condolences.
| And may not Portuguese gentleman,
poor-a, grant you, but still of good blood,
give-a his affection to lady of another
| race
| under it Carter's jaw looked of a sudden
| more square and grim than usual-at least
i the other thought so. His tone, too,
| changed from banter to something hard
| Il decline to hear another word on the mat
| ter. We will confine dealings with one
! another entirely to details of business, If
! you please, Cascaes. and leave matters of
, sentiment alone. Here is your gun. You
| say you are gentleman. and believe YOU
| That means you won't shoot me from be-
| hind or when m not armed equally with
| yourself If the necessity arrives for turn
up on level terms I'm your man. Good
night
And for that night they parted. each
| very much misunderstanding the other.
! Once more the tired sentries yawned at
| their posts, and the Europeans of the fac
! tory retired to their beds and the blacks
| to their sleeping mats; but sleep for the
! rest of that hot, damp night was broken,
and no half-hour passed without a cry
| from some dreamer which woke restless
| echoes from his neghbors.
But with daylight the steady stream of
merchandise, which the factory was be-
| ginning to attract, recommended. The ma
| tive traders of the hinterland had their
| hands full of the stock that had been
/ pouring in upon them ever since the King
! of Okky had closed the roads to the old
| coast factories with which they were ac-
| customed to deal, and when the news
| spread. as it does spread in that mysteri-
! Gus West Africa, that the white woman of
| Moki bought and sold in spite of the
| kings teeth. they were only too ready to
| back her with their custom. The mer-
| chants of that unknown back country are
| some of the keenest traders on earth
| Some came in single canoes through the
| gloom and odors of uncharted muddy
creeks trusting to secrecy for safe pas
sage; others joined forces and brought
armed f1otiilas of great siXty-man power
dugouts down the main stream others
dubbed together into caravans, so strong
and so well-defended that even Kallee's
truculent raiders dared not cross the Okky
marches to hold them up. So marvelously
accurate We're the rumors that had spread
up country, that few of these keen mer-
chants came into Mokki without a grass
basket full of spoiled specimens of butter
fly as dash to propitiate the new trad
ing power.
Every day the influx of merchants in
creased. till at last more came than the
| staff of the factory could deal with, and
they camped outside the fort awaiting
their turn to trade Actually, small ma
tive food market grew there to supply
them. Kate had lowered the price the fac
tory paid for every commodity, but still
the bush merchants Sold and were only
too glad of the chance. Times they felt
We're troublous; the shadow of the King
of Okky hung over the steamng forests
and they wished to get what they could
in European produce and be gone, At the
allaNula, the Monk. or the Smooth
river factories they would not have taken
such prices; but the King of Okky had
closed the roads to these. and for business
purposes they extinct. Nor would
they have sold at such rates to the Ger
mans when they held Mokki. Keen bust
ness man though he may be, the West
African merchant is a creature of whim:
the German he defines as a 'bush-Eng
lshman,' which is term of reproach;
he dstrusts both him and his goods; and
he will not trade with a German factory
on anything like the same terms he will
accept from the Briton, even though the
Briton sell him German made goods.
I'VE doing such a tremendous bust
ness" said Garter one day at the evening
meal, that presently we shall stranSle
ourselves. We have used up all own
trade stuff, and we have stripped the
Smooth river factory and Malla-Nulla, and
pretty well emptied Burgoyne at Monk
river I don't know how finances are?'
Tight" said Kate.