Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-06

If you'll be so very nice, my dear as to pick
up that swiZZle-stick and make me a good
grippy cocktail, when I've had that I'll go
out and do what l can to discourage the
Okky men If they fit to pay call"
Now, his majesty the King of Okky once
boasted to a West African official that he
could put 10000 spearmen into the field,
but there is no doubt that this was an
over-estimate. Moreover many of the Okky
| troops carried flintlock guns and matchets
in place of the spear, and others again
were bowmen, and still others welded the
Dahomey ak. But his majesty was
parvenu king who had fought his way to
| the throne, and he saw to it that there was
no inefflciency in his war Office. He made
the conditions of service sufficiently pleas
ant to tempt in the fighting Moslemin from
the Hausa country. and these fine soldiers
of fortune gave the needful stiffening to
his own pagan levies
Then. also, the King of Okky made full
use of the great cult of Ju-ju. The aver
age West African king Is completely under
the thumb of the ju-ju men, and II he Is not
actually their nominee and puppet, he
knows that II he runs at all counter to
their wishes and policy. he will die some
frantic death devised by the cleverest poi
soners on earth. But King Kallee the First
was not only King of Okky, but he was
also head ju-Ju man of that mysterious
state or 1t is sometimes written, head
witch doctor. He could. when he chose,
hale a subject from his dwelling and pin
him to the Okky City crucifiXion tree for
no further reason than his kingly will. He
could also cause a piece of futtering rag
or bunch of hens feathers to be tied
above a 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 pestilence 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 the king, having set eyes on
Laura Slade. wished 70 install her IN a
wing of the great mud palace of Okky as
his wife. So far, throughout life. when he
had created a wish. fulfillment followed as
a matter of course be the means what they
might. In his demands for Laura, Kallee
wa at times amazed at his own moderation.
He had approached Slade (who to him was
the girls propretor) just as one native
| gentlemal might approach another, and
| inquired her price. Slade, who could not
! give decisive answer even to such pre-
| posterous matter this, temporized after
| his usual custom. The king naturally saw
| in this a scheme to enhance the girls price
| and displayed royal munfcence. He would
| pay Slade thousand puncheons Of palm
oil and thousand bags of rubber and two
| thousand bags Of kernels; and when
| Slade waived this aside and spoke of his
daughters reluctance for matrimony.
Kallee spoke of the splendor in which his
| chief queen would live. Slaves In all
abundance. cloth as fine as silk. ornaments
of gold. and an American alarm clock
should be hers: her food should be coos
! cousoo of the finest. her drink should be
/ Heidsieck of a vintage year exclusively.
| All the affairs of state should be exhibited
| for 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
| Slade could not bring himself to cut short
the offer and tell him that the whole thing
| was impossible He temporized and con-
| graduated himself each time the matter
1 ON ha VIII IN n "a iny
without rupture Of their friendly relations.
| However. the royal patience, which had
never been strung out to such length
| before. reached its breaking strain that
! day at Malla-Nulla under circumstances
| already recorded, and what the king could
not obtain b. this new diplomacy he very
| naturally made up his mind to get hold
of by methods which were more native to
| his experience.
Being moreover strategist with a good
| deal of sound elementary skill, he did not
give the enemy time to bring in reinforce
| ments after the first news Of danger.
KwalSa's embassy was a accommodating