The General tucked in his boots, cross-legged. "Y’know, this may amaze you, Mr. Valparaiso, but in point of fact, we worthless subhumans are kinda busy with lives of our own! This is Canton First Monday. We’re smack in the middle of a major jamboree here. I’ve gotta worry about serious matters, like ... sewage. We got a hundred thousand people showin’ up for three days. You comprende ?" Burningboy stroked his beard. "You know who you’re talking to here? I’m not a magic elf, pal. I don’t come out of a genie bottle just because you need me. I’m a human being. I got my own problems. They call me ‘General’ now.... But once upon a time, I used to be a real-live mayor! I was the elected two-term mayor of Port Mansfield, Texas. Fine little beachfront community—till it washed away."