FullReads

The side of the slope was speckled with men returning in a disorderly fashion to the river front. Behind them marched a small but very compact body of men who had filed out of the stockade. These last dragged quick-firing guns with them.

“Bai Jove, it’s a regular army. I wonder whose,” said Bai-Jove- Judson, and he waited developments. The descending troops met and mixed with the troops in the village, and, with the litter in the centre, crowded down to the river, till the men with the quick- firing guns came up behind them. Then they divided left and right and the detachment marched through.

“Heave these damned things over!” said the leader of the party, and one after another ten little gatlings splashed into the muddy water. The flatiron lay close to the bank.

“When you’re quite done,” said Bai-Jove-Judson politely, “would you mind telling me what’s the matter? I’m in charge here.”

“We’re the Pioneers of the General Development Company,” said the leader. “These little bounders have been hammering us in lager for twelve hours, and we’re getting rid of their gatlings. Had to climb out and take them; but they’ve snaffled the lock-actions. Glad to see you.”

“Any one hurt?”

“No one killed exactly, but we’re very dry.”

“Can you hold your men?”

The man turned round and looked at his command with a grin. There were seventy of them, all dusty and unkempt.

“We sha’n’t sack this ash-bin, if that’s what you mean. We’re mostly gentlemen here, though we don’t look it.”

“All right. Send the head of this post, or fort, or village, or whatever it is, aboard, and make what arrangements you can for your men.”

“We’ll find some barrack accommodation somewhere. Hullo! You in the litter there, go aboard the gunboat.” The command wheeled round, pushed through the dislocated soldiery, and began to search through the village for spare huts.

The little man in the litter came aboard smiling nervously. He was in the fullest of full uniform, with many yards of gold lace and dangling chains. Also he wore very large spurs; the nearest horse being not more than four hundred miles away. “My children,” said he, facing the silent soldiery, “lay aside your arms.”

Most of the men had dropped them already and were sitting down to smoke. “Let nothing,” he added in his own tongue, “tempt you to kill these who have sought your protection.”

“Now,” said Bai-Jove-Judson, on whom the last remark was lost, “will you have the goodness to explain what the deuce you mean by all this nonsense?”

“It was of a necessitate,” said the little man. “The operations of war are unconformible. I am the Governor and I operate Captain. Be’old my little sword.”

“Confound your little sword, sir. I don’t want it. You’ve fired on our flag. You’ve been firing at our people here for a week, and I’ve been fired at coming up the river.”

“Ah! The ‘Guadala’. She have misconstrued you for a slaver possibly. How are the ‘Guadala’?”

“Mistook a ship of Her Majesty’s navy for a slaver! You mistake any craft for a slaver! Bai Jove, sir, I’ve a good mind to hang you at the yard-arm!”

There was nothing nearer that terrible spar than the walking-stick in the rack of Judson’s cabin. The Governor looked at the one mast and smiled a deprecating smile.

“The position is embarrassment,” he said. “Captain, do you think those illustrious traders burn my capital? My people will give them beer.”

“Never mind the traders, I want an explanation.”

“Hum! There are popular uprising in Europe, Captain – in my country.” His eye wandered aimlessly round the horizon.

“What has that to do with -“

“Captain, you are very young. There is still uproariment. But I” – here he slapped his chest till his epaulets jingled -” I am loyalist to pits of all my stomachs.”

“Go on,” said Judson, and his mouth quivered.

“An order arrive to me to establish a custom-houses here, and to collect of the taximent from the traders when she are come here necessarily. That was on account of political understandings with your country and mine. But on that arrangement there was no money also. Not one damn little cowrie. I desire damnably to extend all commercial things, and why? I am loyalist and there is rebellion – yes, I tell you – Republics in my country for to just begin. You do not believe? See some time how it exist. I cannot make this custom-houses and pay the so high-paid officials. The people too in my country they say the king she has no regardance into Honour of her nation. He throw away everything – Gladstone her all, you say, pay?”