"Savvy plenty funny things," said the King, and turned to do justice on another culprit who was brought before him for trial. The royal _ménage_ was simple. They dined off a couscousoo and a bowl of stewed goat, such as any well-to-do native farmer might have set on the floor before him for his meal, and thereafter they sat on mats of elaborate straw-work upon the hard earth, and the King consumed at a moderate computation one ounce of snuff before he was inclined for further talk. Then, "O Carter," said he, "what for dis stone palaver?" "When that stone is taken to my country they heat it in a furnace with other things, and a white metal runs out." "Okky-man no fit for make him?" "No, the job's too complicated." "Dem stone worth lot o' money, or you no fit for carry small-small load all dem way to coast. And a whole hill of dem stone lib far up ribber. So dem hill worth plenty-much lot o' money." "There goes my pile," thought Carter bitterly. "The greedy old ruffian's going to hook it for himself." The King went on. "Dem Kate, she fit for be O'Neill and Craven now?" "I suppose you may say she is." "Smith an' Slade all-e-same work-boy for O'Neill and Craven?" "If you like to put it that way." "Good. And you," went on this well-informed monarch, wagging a fat forefinger, "you want marry Kate, same's I wanted to marry Laura, an' she no fit for have you, same's Laura no fit for have me dem time?" Carter dropped his chin onto his knees and said nothing. The King went on, "O Carter, you fit for save my life dis day. If you no come wid dem canoe, I lib for be crocodile chop this minute. So I do not take your red--I do not make you lib for die as I say dis morning, but I fit for make you glad. Dem Dutchmen hold dem factory now at Mokki?" "They do." "Then I send my war-boys in at back an' stop roads. But I take ju-ju off roads to dem O'Neill and Craven factories at Smooth, an' Monk, and Malla-Nulla." "That's very good of you, I'm sure." "Then dem Kate she love you much when she find dem factory once more do trade." "I'm afraid, King, it would take a lot more than that to make Kate feel attached to me. You see, I'm no longer in O'Neill and Craven's service. I chucked it when she sold Mokki, and I've been on my own ever since." The King's eyes gave the ghost of a twinkle. "Den I no fit for open dem roads. So I make you dash another way. I send you for Coast in big canoe of sixty paddles." "With White-Man's-Trouble?" "Wid your boy, an' your cargo. I send you in three days' time six more canoes of sixty paddles, full of dem stone you wish. I dash you dem hill of stone where you set up dem dam ju-ju boo-paa-bumm. I tell dem men who lib for ribber banks that you be free for come an' go on all my country while I lib for King; an' if any man he hurt you, I take dem man an' I nail him by hands an' feet to a tree!" Carter looked up. "Do you mean that?"