He calls them and gives
them the boxes to carry, and waves his hand
for all the world as though he was King
already. They takes the boxes and him
across the valley and up the hill into a pine
wood on the top, where there was half a
dozen big stone idols. Dravot he goes to the
biggest??”a fellow they call Imbra??”and lays
a rifle and a cartridge at his feet, rubbing his
nose respectful with his own nose, patting
him on the head, and saluting in front of it.
He turns round to the men and nods his
head, and says,??”???That??™s all right. I??™m in
the know too, and these old jim-jams are my
friends.??™ Then he opens his mouth and
points down it, and when the first man
brings him food, he says??”???No;??™ and when
the second man brings him food, he says??”
???No;??™ but when one of the old priests and
the boss of the village brings him food, he
says??”???Yes;??™ very haughty, and eats it slow.
That was how we came to our first village,
without any trouble, just as though we had
tumbled from the skies. But we tumbled
from one of those damned rope-bridges, you
see, and you couldn??™t expect a man to laugh
much after that.???
???Take some more whiskey and go on,??? I
said. ???That was the first village you came
into. How did you get to be King????
???I wasn??™t King,??? said Carnehan. ???Dravot
he was the King, and a handsome man
he looked with the gold crown on his head
and all. Him and the other party stayed in
that village, and every morning Dravot sat
by the side of old Imbra, and the people came
and worshipped.
Pages:
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39