VII. Signs of Empire: Loyal Hearts

It was Empire Day — tHe 24th of May — the day on which was commemorated throughout the Empire the birth of the great white Queen who, in her life, surrounded the British throne with a halo of womanly virtues, the kind of thing before which, in all ages and in all climes, the heart of universal man bows low in reverential homage and respect.

The Gold Coast is also a component part of the British Empire — as necessary to the complete whole as the smallest link to the complete chain ; and so, as the women trooped out this morning in their hundreds in Ethiopian costumes with their hair done up in the most graceful, yet picturesque, fashions, and the children with bunting and palms and flowers, all gay and merry as for a wedding feast, one could easily realise that the heart of the people was true. What could not be made of material such as this — the nucleus of the free Ethiopian Empire that is to be ?

Why had they thus turned out? What meaning had “Empire Day” for these simple folk?

g 2 All they knew was that the great white Queen, the great Awuraba, or mistress, whose son now reigned over them, had been born on this day, and her they delighted to honour; but if you asked them wherefore they loved and cherished her memory, they could not tell you why. Perhaps it was an instinctive feeling that she, a good woman, could never be unkind to them and their people, and sympathy had begotten loyalty. After she was gone, they familiarly referred to her, and said : “ Inde Awuraba niba adzi adzi, wo ma ye nkoko sumunu ,” that was to say, £< Now our mistress’s son reigns; let us go and serve him.”

It was a day to be remembered by the merchant, because he lost money by the closure of his factory; by the official, because it gave him a day oil and extra drinks; by the school children, because they came in for a treat gratuitously supplied by the simple folk of the community, as a kind of offering to the great white throne. And so it happened that all had enjoyed themselves and made merry.

By Kenny Bilcox this day of days had been spent in looking over the District Record Book for the past six months during which he had been away on furlough. He was to take charge on the morrow, as his assistant was due for leave. But the more he read the more furious did he become. Things had not altogether gone to his liking. It was late in the afternoon ; the day had been sultry ; and he, faithful servant of the King, had worked late and long. Suddenly, turning round to his orderly: “ Kwesi,” he said, “ run fast, fast, to Mr. Macan and tell him I want him here one time.”

“Yes, Sar ! ” and, in a moment, Kwesi was racing down the main street in the direction of the parade ground.

“Maser want you, sar,” said Kwesi to Macan, who was enjoying himself immensely in his own fashion.

“ And what on earth does £ maser ’ want with me on a day like this ? Say to ‘ maser ’ I dey come.”

“ Tut! tut! tut! whatever good are you for, I should like to know,” said Political Officer Bilcox to his assistant, David Macan, as in return to a low respectful bow, he merely glanced Macan’ s way in a half nod, half menace. “ The fact is,” he pursued, “ you are too d — m straight for the Gold Coast Diplomatic Service. It is like you Scotch people, you are always putting your confounded conscience before obvious duty. Here you have gone and spoilt a whole eighteen months of strenuous work on my part to put into operation in Insima District the policy mapped out by the Lieutenant-Governor.”

David Macan was somewhat taken aback at this sort of reception, and, at first, did not know whether to put it down to the extra rise in the thermometer, extra whiskies and sodas, or to his ill luck in being born with a conscience. Truth to tell, David Macan was a typical Scotchman, as straight as a die, and had already gained for himself among the Africans the sobriquet of “ honest David.” Reflecting a moment, David said, “ Excuse me, sir, but I don’t know in the least what you are talking about. Perhaps if you took the matter calmly, I can understand you better. In the meanwhile, let me warn you, sir,” his Scotch blood for the nonce getting the better of him,

‘ ‘ that much as I respect you, I shall seriously resent the next rash reference you make to my people.”

“ And what on earth do you mean by allowing that impudent rascal Kwamankra to sneak into this district ? ’ ’ angrily demanded Bilcox, and ignoring Macan’s remonstrance. “ We’ll have our hands full, I can assure you, and you will have to answer for it at headquarters. But whether or not, I won’t have you in this district, do you hear? I’ll recommend you for leave at once, and when you return, if you ever do, you may go to Kintampor, or some hotter place, for aught I care.”

‘ ‘ How absurd you are this evening, Mr. Bilcox, to be sure ! How could I prevent Kwamankra coming into the district to practise ? Besides, he is a native of the country; the chiefs look up to him ; and I had always understood we were to work through the chiefs, and, by parity of reasoning, through their natural leaders.”

££ Do you call it sound policy to play into the hands of a man who can write such rubbish as this Kwamankra does? ” throwing heavily upon the table a thick volume which had been standing on the dirty shelf. £t Pray listen to this and tell me whether your senses have fled,” this as he read from the open page the following : ££ £ Were there such a thing as political ethics, or a pretence or semblance thereof among Christian nations, as there is a semblance of some sort of Christianity in so-called Christian countries, it might be permissible to inquire how far the conduct of Christian nations in relation to aboriginal races, sometimes charitably called subject races, conformed to the Christian standard of morality — ’ Now that is rank heresy, teaching the aboriginals that we are a parcel of hypocrites and cut-throats ; and to think that the writer of this vile stuff has been let in here through your stupidity! ” pursued Bilcox breathlessly.

Macan made a move as if to knock the Political Officer down; but just then a voice from the verandah attracted his attention, and, in a twinkling, Whitely had placed himself between the two. “ There is no reason,” said Whitely, “ why you two gentlemen should not repair to the back yard and have it out in true sportsmanlike fashion. But as for expressing your opinions of one another freely in the hearing of the black boys, I don’t know what to say of it. By George ! how they swarmed at the foot of the stairs, peeping one behind the other, until I kicked them off the premises as I came up. Besides, we did the thing differently in my youthful days. Fewer words, you know; but, perhaps, the heat had something to do with it, or I mightn’t have had the trouble of interfering,” placing himself in pugilistic attitude first towards Bilcox, and then towards Macan. The situation was fast bordering on the ridiculous, and as Macan was in no mood for fun, he snatched up his hat, bowed low, and in a moment he was gone.

‘ ‘ B — oy ! b — oy ! cocktails, two cocktails, do you hear ? and look sharp about it, or by Jove, I will break every bone in your body ! ” Then turning to Whitely — “ The idea of these boys always hanging round and eavesdropping. The worst of it is one can’t do without them.”

When the servant had placed the drinks on the table and departed, Whitely said : “I would advise you, Bilcox, to be careful what you say in the hearing of these native boys of the man Kwamankra. You have no idea what a hold he has SIGNS OF EMPIRE : I.OYAL HEARTS. upon the popular imagination, and how widespread is his influence. Personally, there is something irresistible about him I could never withstand. I knew him in my student days. Under normal conditions, I should say it is the charm of a manly purpose and force of character. But, then, no one is normal in these parts.” And there was a strange sadness in his voice which Bilcox could not help noticing from the way he laid stress on the words “ no one.”

“ Mind you don’t miss the Chief Magistrate’s dinner, or he’ll never forgive you; the hour is 8 p.m.,” said Whitely, as he slowly descended the stairs.

As for Macan, he could not help turning over in his mind the strange medley which was labelled the Gold Coast Diplomatic Service. He remembered reading somewhere before coming out the following: “It must strike the careful observer that the 'position of a man in the public service of the Gold Coast is often a difficult one. If such a man is honest and intelligent , he cannot fail soon to discover the peculiar conditions under which he is called upon to discharge his duties. The first thing that will occur to him will be the dogin-the-manger policy of the Administration, whose servant he is. He will find that, theoretically, the people are free, having their own laws and institutions. He will see that the Government, apparently, recognise this fact ; hut that in practice, he, the public servant, is expected to interfere with the institutions of the people as far as he dares. Neither is he told to allow the natural development of the institutions of the people, nor is he directed, in so many words, to attempt to mould them. What he does to-day, which is considered wrong by his superiors, may be done tomorrow by another and applauded .” As he put two and two together, trying to fathom the real cause of his superior officer’s annoyance, the truth gradually dawned upon him. He had acted by the natives as an honest man should do. During the time he had acted as the head of the Diplomatic Service he had given the chiefs every encouragement to unite with one another and to consolidate their authority and jurisdiction over their people. He had encouraged national schools throughout the district, and supported the Chiefs to make bye-laws, requiring every child to attend the schools until the age of fourteen. All these were in the line of normal and healthy growth of the people in enlightened progressive ways, and he had worked with a will and a great deal of intelligence and tact. It had never dawned upon him that there was a theoretical policy and a practical one, the latter having as its aim such a shaping of circumstances as would for ever make the Ethiopian in his own country a hewer of wood and a drawer of water unto his Caucasian protector and so-called friend. This then was what he was expected to do. Was it right, could he conscientiously do it?