П’ятнадцятирічний капітан

Kazounde

           Hehadnotfourthousandofsoldiersthere,wheretheprincipalPortuguesetraderscouldcounttwentythousand,andhecouldnolonger,asinformertimes,decreethesacrificeoftwenty-fiveorthirtyslavesaday.

           Thiskingwas,besides,aprematurely-agedman,exhaustedbydebauch,crazedbystrongdrink,aferociousmaniac,mutilatinghissubjects,hisofficersorhisministers,asthewhimseizedhim,cuttingthenoseandearsoffsome,andthefootorthehandfromothers.Hisowndeath,notunlookedfor,wouldbereceivedwithoutregret.

           AsinglemaninallKazoundemight,perhaps,losebythedeathofMoiniLoungga.Thiswasthecontractor,Jose-AntonioAlvez,whoagreedverywellwiththedrunkard,whoseauthoritywasrecognizedbythewholeprovince.Iftheaccessionofhisfirstwife,QueenMoini,shouldbecontested,theStatesofMoiniLounggamightbeinvadedbyaneighboringcompetitor,oneofthekingsofOukonson.Thelatter,beingyoungerandmoreactive,hadalreadyseizedsomevillagesbelongingtotheKazoundegovernment.Hehadinhisservicesanothertrader,arivalofAlvezTipo-Tipo,ablackArabofapurerace,whomCameronmetatN’yangwe.

           WhatwasthisAlvez,therealsovereignunderthereignofanimbrutednegro,whoseviceshehaddevelopedandserved?

           Jose-AntonioAlvez,alreadyadvancedinyears,wasnot,asonemightsuppose,a"msoungou,"thatistosay,amanofthewhiterace.TherewasnothingPortugueseabouthimbuthisname,borrowed,nodoubt,fortheneedsofcommerce.

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Roboto Lora
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