and go to spirits. While he live he have a very good
time, plenty to eat, plenty wives, fine house, much gold as he like,
only nothing to spend it on, pretty necklace, nice paint for face. But
Asika, little bit by little bit she eat up his spirit. He see too many
ghosts. The house where he sleep with dead men who once have his billet,
full of ghosts and every night there come more and sit with him, sit all
round him, look at him with great eyes, just like you look at me, till
at last when Asika finish eating up his spirit, he go crazy, he howl
like man in hell, he throw away all the gold they give him, and then,
sometimes after one week, sometimes after one month, sometimes after one
year if he be strong but never more, he run out at night and jump into
canal where Yellow God float and god get him, while Asika sit on the
bank and laugh, 'cause she hungry for new man to eat up his spirit too."

Jeekie's big voice died away to a whisper and ceased. There was a
silence in the room, for even in the shine of the electric light and
through the fumes of champagne, in more than one imagination there rose
a vision of that haunted water in which floated the great Yellow God,
and of some mad being casting himself to his death beneath the moon,
while his beautiful witch wife who was "hungry for more spirits" sat
upon its edge and laughed. Although his language was now commonplace
enough, even ludicrous at times, the negro had undoubtedly the art of
narration. His auditors felt that he spoke of what he knew, or had seen,
that the very recollection of it frightened him, therefore he frightened
them.

Again Barbara broke the silence which she felt to be awkward.

"Why do more ghosts come very night to sit with the queen's husband,
Jeekie?" she asked. "Where do they come from?"

"Out of the dead, miss, dead husbands of Asika from beginning of the
world; what they call Munganas. Also always they make sacrifice to
Yellow God. From far, far away them poor niggers send people to be
sacrifice that their house or tribe get luck. Sometimes they send kings,
sometimes great men, sometimes doctors, sometimes women what have twin
babies. Also the Asiki bring people what is witches, or have drunk
poison stuff which blacks call _muavi_ and have not been sick, or
perhaps son they love best to take curse off their roof. All these come
to Yellow God. Then Asiki doctor, they have Death-palaver. On night of
full moon they beat drum, and drum go Wow!