Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-05

| DaklnS afternoon. HlRh-SCenteQ trade
stufrs poured into the factory in pleasing
| abundance, and bundles of European
| produce were balanced upon woolly crani-
| ums for transportation through bush paths
I to that wild unknown Africa beyond the
hinterland The new law Of K. ONell al
lowed no lingering in the feteesh Once a
customer had been delivered Of his goods
and had accepted payment, White-Man's
Trouble decanted him into the scalding
| sunshine outside and babe his hasten upon
his ways. K. O'Neill had stated very
leakage by theft was unpleasing to the
| directorate In Liverpool, and must be
stopped. X. ONein understood that the
thefts took place after a customer had
spent all his cash on legitimate purchase,
as then all his savage intelligence was
turned to pilfering. Carter, as the man on
| the spot, recognized the truth Of all this,
| and carried out the instructions to the foot
| of the letter.
Mr.. Smith warned him he would have
| trouble over it. Ever since the first fac
| tory came down to blight this coast" Smith
explained, the boys have been allowed to
hang around the feteesh and steal what
wasn't nailed down. They look upon it in
| the light of legitimate discount, and It's
| grown up into custom Now in west
| Africa you may burn a forest or blot out
a nation, or start new volcano, and no
| body will say very much to you. but II you
| interfere with recognized custom you
come in contact with the biggest kind Of
| trouble"
Still Carter pointed out. these orders
1
And you are the kind of fool that goes
on the principle of 'obeying orders If you
break owners Well, go ahead and carry
out Instructions l won't interfere with
| you. I'd rather like to see this cocksure X.
O'Neill get smack in the eye to cure his
| meddling. And for yourself keep your
| weather eye lifting, some indignant mig
| ger will ram a foot of iron into you. It's
| the Okky-men I'd take especial care of If
| were you. They've got their tails up a good
deal more than's healthy just now. I'm
| told too, that their head witch doctor wants
! his war drum redecorated." Mr. Smith
| grinned-'I don't want to be personal of
| course"
ooh. don't mind me. So far 1 rather fail
| to understand what I've got to do with the
| Okky City war drum"
You see. you carry round with you some
| thing that would make the very best kind
! of heap-too- good ju-ju.
| Still. l don't understand"
| SWiZZleStick Smith got up and stretched,
| and limped across to the door. It's that
| red head of yours my lad he said over
| his shoulder as he went out. Every witch
| doctor in West Africa that sees it will just
| itch to have it amongst his ornaments. I'd
dye it sky-blue If l were you, just for
safey sake
| This. of course, might be Mr.. Smiths deli
| cate irony, or, again, it might be literally
true. Carter had already been long enough
| in West Africa to know that very unusual
| and unpleasant things can happen there;
| but that made no change in his determine
|
| the matter; this pilfering ought to be stop
| ped; and he felt convinced that White
| Mans-Trouble would help to see that JUS
! tice was done. That particular Krooboy
| was thievish himself, certainly, but he had
| a short way with any fellow-African who
! dared to be light-fngered.
So. during all that hot morning, and all
| that sWeltering afternoon. merchant after
| merchant was shown out into the sunshine
| and those who chartered and would not
| go willingly were assisted by the strong
| right arm of White-Man' s-Trouble.
| Just upon the time when siestas generally
| ended, that is, about o'clock, there came
burly Okky trader, who staggered up to
| the factory with five carriers in his train.
! laden down with bags of rubber.
! Carter examined the evil-smeling stuff
| and cut open two three of the larger
| round Jumps The gentle savage had put in
| quite 80 per cent of sticks, and sand, and
| alien gum by way of makeweight, and was
Z! as petulant child at having this simple
| fraud discovered. He still further disliked
| the price that was offered; and when 1t
| came to making his purchases, and he
| found that the particular spot blue
| cotton cloth on which he had built up his
| fancy was out of stock the remaining rags
| of his temper were frayed completely. For
| an unbroken ten minutes he cursed Carter
| and Malla-Nulla factory, and an unknown
| Manchester skipper in fluent Okky, here and
| there embroidered with few words of that
| slave traders Arabic, which is specially de-
! signed a comfort for the impatient and
/ when he had accepted a roll of blue cloth
spotted in another pattern, and was invited
| to leave the feteesh, he held himself to be
one of the worSt-used Africans on the
| dark continent
| Carter, who was tired and hot, signed
| to his henchman. Here, fire that ruffian
| out" he said.
| But White Man's-Trouble affected to hear
| a summons from outside. Dat you,
| Smith? Yessar, I come one-time," said he,
and bolted out through the doorway.
| Here you,' said Carter to the big Okky-
|
| here If have to tell you a second time,
there'll be trouble. Come, now, git!'
Carriers command of the native might
| be faulty, but the grammar of his gestures
was correct enough. What, go out of the
feteesh before he chose? The okky-ma
| had no idea of doing such thing. He
| lifted his walking spear threateningly and
| snarled.
simultaneously Carter put his right hand
| on the greasy counter and vaulted. He
caught the appraised spear with his other
| hand before his feet had touched ground,
| and broke the blade close off by the socket,
and a short instant later. when he had
found footing, he carried his weight for
ward in the same leap and drove his right
| against the negros left carotid, just be-
| meath the ear. The man went down as II
| he had been pole-axed.
| Carter went outside and beckoned to the
| Okky-mans carriers Here, you, come
and carry your master outdoors'-the men
hesitated-"or I'll start in to handle you
next" They did as they were hidden. And
|
| warmed up, was left free to attend to an
| other matter elsewhere.
A noise of voices in disagreement and
| the intermittent sounds of scuftiing had
| made themselves heard from the south side
| of the factory buildings and now there
| were added to these a woman's voice call
| ing in English for some one to help her,
| and then sharp, shril scream of unmis-
taxable distress.
Now Carter was no knight Grant. He
| had set up the unknown X. O'Neill as his
| model and had told himself daily that he
| intended to NEEDLE with nothing in West
| Africa, philanthropic otherwise, which
| would not directly tend to the advancement
Of George Carter; but at the first moment
when they were put to the test, all these
| academic resolutions broke to pieces He
| picked up his feet and ran al speed through
| the sunshine, and as he went a mist seemed
| to rise up before his eyes which tinged
everything red.
! He felt somehow he had never felt be-
fore; strangely exhilarated and strangely
| savage; and when he arrived on the scene
| of the disturbance, he was little inclined TO
! weigh the consequences of interference.
There was a woman, white faced and terror
stricken-he could not for the life of him
| tell whether she was handsome or hideous.
Negroes were handling her. On the ground
l Law MOLE hammock which DreSllma blV