"Lord, no man came," said the king; "nor have they sent tribute. And I desired to bring them to my marriage feast that my wife should be impressed; and, since I am to be married in the Christian style, it would be well that these little chiefs should see with their eyes the practice of God-men."
"Yet I cannot force these chiefs to your palaver, Tobolaka," said Sanders.
"Also, lord," continued the chief, "one of these men is a Mohammedan and an evil talker, and when I sent to him to do homage to me he replied with terrible words, such as I would not say again."
"You must humour your chiefs, king," said Sanders, and gave the discomfited monarch no warmer cheer.
Sanders left next day for headquarters, and in his hurry forgot to inquire further into the forthcoming wedding feast.
"And the sooner he marries the better," he said to the Houssa captain. "Nothing tires me quite so much as a Europeanised-Americanised native. It is as indecent a spectacle as a niggerised white man."
"He'll settle down; there's no stake in a country like a wife," said the Houssa. "I shouldn't wonder if he doesn't forget old man Cicero. Which chief's daughter is to be honoured?"
Sanders shook his head.
"I don't know, and I'm not interested. He might make a good chief—I'm prejudiced against him, I admit. As likely as not he'll chuck his job after a year if they don't 'chop' him—they're uncertain devils, these Akasavas. Civilisation has a big big call for him; he's always getting letters from England and America."
The Houssa captain bit off the end of a cigar.