Adventure Magazine Cover, June 20, 1925 — page 167: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

‘—and of Gideon!” a | have done little but listen to you talk, O Pig.” “My name is Umglubu no longer, Earth- shaker. I take again the name that was mine before I came to dwell in this land. These great ones—” he indicated the four uniformed whites—“‘call me Ferdinand de Sousa!’’ “That is all one to me,’”’ Macombe said with a contemptuos laugh. “A man once called a hyena a lion, but that same night the beast laughed at the moon—Pig!”’ Umglubu—the Pig—known to the police authorities at Lisbon as Ferdinand de Sousa, and wanted by them for several despicable crimes—shrugged his shoulders and laughed feebly at Macombe’s joke. “At least it is permitted that I speak,” he asked again when he had recovered his composure. Macombe inclined his head with pompous gravity. “This I would say,’’ Umglubu continued breathlessly: ‘The Portuguese king is all powerful; his soldiers are more numerous than the grains of sand on the river bed and they go to and fro on the great waters in houses spouting smoke. Should a nation annoy him—then that nation ceases to be; its kraals are blotted out, its men-folk killed, the women are given to his soldiers and the cattle are added to his herds. What then, does such a powerful king want with this poor country of Macombe’s? Why does he send his most trusted advisors to deal with Macombe?” “That is something I am still waiting to hear,’ Macombe interrupted irritably. “Why don’t you white men of all tribes remain in your own countries and leave us black ones alone? We have no neéd of you; we do not sleep or eat better because of your coming. I grow weary of all this. My ears are deafened by the voices of white men who laud themselves and the race from which they came and yet seek to take to themselves this so worthless land of mine. I tell you that I distrust the man who leaves his own platter of mealie-meal and comes to dip his hand in mine—yet praises the excellence of his own. For such a man there is only one reply.”” He squeezed his nose with his thumb and forefinger and added, “I do not like lhiars.”’ The four uniformed men moved uneasily as a native, one of their servants, gave them a garbled translation of Macombe’s speech. 149 One of them whispered something to their spokesman. He nodded reassuringly. ‘Do not judge too hastily,’’ he said to the chief. ‘These white men, the mouthpieces of the great white king, do not seek your land, your cattle or the blood of your war- riors. ‘They ask only that you and your counsellors make your marks on the talking paper and so proclaim to the world that you and their overlord have entered into a treaty of peace. That done they will see to it that no white men come into your country without your permission. Only these four, and their friends, shall be per- mitted to come and go as they will. In re- turn for this they will give you many guns and ammunition. And so, with their aid, you will be a great power in the land—no one shall stand before you.” Macombe snorted. “I have yet to see a white man give so much for so little. Tell me again what the talking paper says.”’ “Seven times I made known its voice to you yesterday, O Macombe—five times I have made it known to you today. And to what end? The tale of it is always the same; it can not lie.” ‘“‘Men’s memories are shorter than my shadow at noon,” the chief said senten- iously. “TI have forgotten.” Umglubu turned to his companions and from one of them took a roll of parchment. He winked slyly, then, turning to face Ma- combe, undid the. tibbon with which the roll was tied, and smoothed out the parchment, holding it so that Macombe and his counsel- lors could see the gold-colored seals which were affixed to it. He took a deep breath, then read swiltly: sounding as if he were reciting a passage learned by heart. “And,” he conluded, “in return for this small favor, I promise to protect—with all the force and arms of my kingdom—the land of Macombe from the grasping hands of all other white nations. In addition I will give to Macombe five thousand rifles, five thousand ball cartridges and much powder. And——_” Followed a list of trade goods well calcu- lated to please a not over sophisticated savage ruler. Macombe nodded when it was finished. © “It is a lot to give for the little asked; permission to dig a few holes in my coun- try—that is all. What can come from a hole COMIGDIOOKSEEO