Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-25

it's painless wanderings midst foul swamp
and rain-soaked forest-perhaps month S
floundering through quagm1re and jungle
with q speedy end under shower or
scrap iron fired from some bell-mouthed
cannon.
will you be good enough to favor me
with them?" purred the other, now alb
sorbed in his palms.
IF had map began Warden, al
most contemporary.
tain languid elegance. He was really
tired, having worked at the Macedonian
gendarmerie regulations until 3 CLOCK
that morning. High on the wall. behind
Wardens chair were seVera! long, mar
row mahogany cases. each filled with
pendant cord. The under secretary pulled
one, and a large map of Africa fell from
it's cover.
II am fairy we'll acquainted with the
protectorate. but now you can talk 10
SCALE" he said. going back to his seat
and resuning his nonchalant attitude
Warden, still smarticg under a sense OF
the evident insigniiicaHce OF Britain be-
yond the seas in e eyes OF its home
dwelling custcdians. spoke bTuSqueiy
enough.
ION the Benue river. a tributary of the
Niger four hundred miles from the
coast" he said. you will find the town
of Gire in the Yola district. You see it
is just within the sphere Of British lnfiu-
Well. Oku is near Gire. Oku is not on
the map"
Il put it there myself yesterday" broke
in the under secretary.
Warden was gifted with keen sight He
swung round and gave The HHEe.sheet On
the wall closer scrutiny. ~ great many
corrections had been made on 1t with pen
and ink They were carried out SO neat
ly that they resembled the engraved let
terng.
under secretary: thenceforth a better un-
Outstanding reigned.
Il beg your pardon" he said. 'Since
you gave attention to the position of Oku
so recently. ! am half inclined to be-
lieve that not only my Information put
my opinions are fores allied
We have been at cross purposes.
murmured the tired voice. You are Capt.
Arthur Warden. who commanded the OAu
punitive expedition thirteen months ago.
Since early yesterday morning the CO.
loEial office. at my request, has been
trying to discover your Wherea bouts-try-
ing in vain, / gather-or you would have
mentioned the fact l really wished to
consult you with reference to this very
tonic. 1t is all the more gratifying that
chance should have led you to be a wit
Less of events which were surm1ses on
our part and that your sense of duty
should bring you here at the earliest pos
sible moment
q
relief that the under secretary was obvl-
ously inclined to visit his manicurist that
afternoon rather than wait till the NOR
row. Such preoccupation gave him time
to recover. But he devoted no more time
to silent theories anent the dfsgraceful
apathy of the home authorities with ref
erence to West African affairs.
Il cannot insist too strongly on the
efforts that are being made by our neigh
bors to undermine British influence in
that quarter he said. Their traders
pander to native excuses and humor the,
prejudices. Their pioneers are constantly
pushing northward toward the shores of
Lake Tchad. Arms and ammunition are
being Struggled across the boundary at
many points. Preparations are quietly In
progress for a transfer of power if ever
British authority shows signs of weaken
ing. Therefore. I draw the worst augu-
ries from their presence in Cowes of a
clever and INSCRIPTIONS filibuster like
Figuero especially when he acts as bear
leader to three disaffected chiefs. Oku.
as you know. is an insignificant place.
but it has one supreme attribute that
gives 1t among the negroes the impor-
lance of Mecca in the Mohammedan