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The brown man turned briskly out into the hot afternoon sunshine, down the mean semicircular street, where piccaninnies were kicking up clouds of dust. He hurried through the dusty area, and presently turned off a by-path that led over the hill, through a glade of cedars, to the white village. The glade was gloomy, but warm, for the shade of cedars somehow seems to hold heat.
He is a very amusing character, being exceedingly proud, and will only obey his own master, whom he calls his great inkosi or chief. He is always lamenting the advent of the inkosi-casa, or chieftainess, and the piccaninnies and their following, especially the "vaiter," whom he detests.
A camp of aboriginals living by a small lakelet eighteen miles off was visited, and the natives there were informed of a great feast that was to be given thirty days later, and were told to tell other blacks to come too, with their wives and piccaninnies. These all came about a fortnight before Christmas, and at the same time our expected visitor arrived.
There isn't any reason in the world for the fancies they take any more than for our own; eh, Mag? Why should she have been attracted to me just because I was so undignified as to dance with the piccaninnies? But do you know what that little thing did? She thought I was playing with her. She gave a crow of delight and came bowling after me. That finished me.
Several of these last you may see rolling about in the dust among the "piccaninnies," and apparently as happy as they. But the hunting trophies that adorn the walls do not hang there as mere ornaments. No, they are spread out to dry, and will soon give place to others for there is a constant export going on.
From a portion of this the inner skins, I imagine the blacks manage to make a flexible, though not over warm, covering for the winter nights, or for the newly-born piccaninnies.
Summoned, invited, children, men, women, and piccaninnies assembled to participate in the duties and recreations of the moment. Message-sticks had been carried into unfamiliar country by nervous boys. One of the organisers at ease with his pen sent to his kin formal and official invitations mingled with social and affectionate greetings. All responded.
That this was the usual procedure was so well known to Hook that in disregarding it he cannot be excused on the plea of ignorance. The Piccaninnies, on their part, trusted implicitly to his honour, and their whole action of the night stands out in marked contrast to his. They left nothing undone that was consistent with the reputation of their tribe.
Mothers sat holding their "piccaninnies" in their sable embrace, murmuring expressions of endearment, or endeavouring to hush them to rest. Here and there big tears rolled over their swarthy cheeks, as the maternal heart rose and fell with swelling emotions.
Feeling manly and cynical, he said: "Down in the field? Oh, come! I think we might have had the whole establishment, piccaninnies included." Mrs. Cahill whispered: "Don't, Paul. You promised you'd take care." Feeling a woman of the world, she rose and prepared to take her leave. Her father kissed her. "Good-bye, old girl," he said; "don't you worry about me. "Good-bye, Dad."
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