Page:The land of enchantment (1907, Cassell).djvu/117

 “Right you are, Master Charles; howsomever, this being so, I fell a-considering how I could best impress these here gentry with the great importance of yours truly, not yearning extra particular to be either boiled or roasted just yet. I got my niggers to rig up a swing between two palm-trees, then I put on the lion’s skin, which covered me up completely, and began a-swinging backward and forward. There I sits with my jaws open, smoking a she-root, and my long tail a-swing- ing free behind. Well, in a couple of shakes the heathen they see the smoke a-curling upward, not knowing anyone was near, and then they takes a squint through the leaves at a raging lion all on fire, as they thinks, enjoying of hisself amazing. I give you my word, Master Charles, they’d never clapped eyes on such a sight afore, and they didn’t stop long a-staring neither, but skedaddled in a precious funk. This being so, me and the niggers set to a-roaring like mad, which helped the Cuffeecocoites over the ground considerable.

“I knew that they wouldn’t come back again till the next day, when they'd be sure to bring some pals along with them, so I studied for to surprise them stillmore. In the morning we were up betimes, and this was our little game. I rigs out the niggers in the monkey skins, whereby they looks like the real article, a-walking on their behind legs. We fills the wheelbarrow with green leaves, and in I gets, dressed up like unto a lion again, and a-smoking my she-root. Then one monkey he tools me along, while the other walks in front with a bell in one hand and a-waving of the British flag with the other. By-and-by the heathen they come a-peering and a-squinting through the leaves, and are more astonished than ever.

“At last we reaches the capital, and the Cuffeecocoites turn out in crowds to meetus. The nigger in front waves the flag, and keeps a-ringing of his bell and bawling, ‘Make way, ladies and gents, for the British Lion!’ And by-and-by we claps our eyes on the king hisself, seated on a throne made of the skulls of his enemies, and all inlaid with yellow gold and ruby gems; and his warriors in their war-paint were around him a-staring with all their eyes. The darkies bowed down before the throne, and banged their noddles against the ground three times, and yelled for us to do similar immediate.”

“So I suppose you had to, Ben?” said Charlie.

The old sailor looked surprised, and replied in an injured tone, “Not me, Master Charles; ′twould take a jolly lot of po-ten-tates, more obstreperouser even than that one, for to make yours truly grovel.