I'll tell you.
They had a king lately, and, according to accounts, he was old and
fat, and his morals were bad. But he died, and up came five
candidates for the place, and their claims to it I didn't make out,
but if it was a question of votes, I gathered the ballot was
tolerable corrupt, and if it was inheritance, I took it the late
royalty had so many heirs they were common like anybody else. But
everybody was busy, and it looked as if business would be dull for
me, and they told me it was no use trying to be neutral. I'd have to
back one of 'em. Course, I didn't know. Each of the candidates
occupied a corner of the island, and now and then they'd meet in the
middle for slaughter. What could I do? Well, I tell you what I did. I
hired five messengers and invited the candidates to a congress. I says:
"'Not more'n ten to each party.' And they came.
"Kamelillo's a good enough interpreter, only he's sort of condensed.
If a man makes a speech of half an hour, Kamelillo gives a grunt to
cover most of it, and then he states what he guesses is the point of
the rest. But he did well enough.
"Then I got in the middle of 'em and I argued. I says:
"'Gentlemen, this is a peaceful interview.
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