"civilised man"	229
the place loitered at the edge of the dark, haling us,
hating the young drunk chief. We returned and pre-
sently I went to bed. After an hour or two someone
moved in my hut. It was Amedoo come to tell me
that the carriers had received no chop at all and had
gone hungry to their beds.
The Tax-gatherer
The dry weather was breaking: in a few weeks the
way to Grand Bassa would be impossible. When I
woke at half-past five the rain was pouring down, the
empty compound was lit by green lightning. The
chiefs cows, great cream-coloured beasts with curled
horns and velvet eyes, were standing close against the
women's huts for shelter. It looked as if we shouldn't
get away till late. There was no sign of the carriers:
it was not until half-past six when the rain had
stopped, though the lightning flickered on, that they
drifted into the compound, wet and hungry and
miserable.
I called Vande, gave him half a crown to buy a
goat with whenever he chose, and told them to cook
the little rice we had with us and eat it before start-
ing.   Then the young chief appeared in the com-
pound; he had an aching head and a dry mouth, and
he was embarrassed and ashamed. I pretended not to
notice him until he climbed on to my verandah, and
then I didn't offer him a chair, I waited until my
carriers were close and then I cursed him. I was very
Imperialist, very pref ectorial as I told him that a chief
must be judged by his discipline, that he ought not to
allow his headman to disobey him. He couldn't t^ll