thing two or
three times before he saw into it. Then, it was evident that he could
not see what business this was of ours, and we had to explain our
motives, which was some trouble, because we had not quite straightened
them out in our own minds.

Then he wanted to know which was the head person, a queen or a prime
minister. We set forth the strict truth to him in this matter. We told
him that although a queen in a well-regulated monarchy actually occupies
the highest place, that the prime minister is the fellow who does the
real governing. He thought this might all be so, but he did not like the
idea of having any one, especially Jane Henderson, as he called her, in
a position higher than his own. We did not say anything to him, then,
about giving the queen her English name, because we supposed that he
had been used to speak of her in that way, to white people, but we
determined to refer to this when matters should be settled.

He was so set in his own opinion on this point of position, that we were
afraid we should be obliged to give the thing up. He used very good
arguments, too. He said that he had been elected to his present office
by his fellow Africans; that he had held it a long time; that he didn't
think the rest of his people wanted him to give it up, and he didn't
think he wanted to give it up himself. A prime minister might be all
very well, but he didn't know anything about it. He knew what it was to
be governor, and was very well satisfied to leave things as they were.

This was dampening. Just as the old fellow thought he had settled the
matter, a happy thought struck me: we might make the monarchy an
independent arrangement. Perhaps Goliah would have no objection to that,
provided we did not interfere with his governorship. If Poqua-dilla
should be recognized as a queen, and crowned, and provided with an
income sufficient to keep her out of any retail business, it was about
all she could expect, at her time of life. She certainly would not care
to do any governing. The few subjects that we should enlist would be
more like courtiers than anything else.

I called Rectus to the door, and suggested this arrangement to him. He
thought it would be better than nothing, and that it would be well to
mention it.

We did this, and Goliah thought a while.

"Ef I lets her be call' queen," he said, "an' she jist stay at home an'
min' her own business, an' don' run herse'f agin me, no way, how much
you s'pose sh