|
TOUGH GUYS
|
53
|
||
|
|
|||
|
"Wait
a moment," he continued. "Now it kinder struck me that if you got
yourself photographed alongside a big bug like the Sultan and sitting
at a table with lots of pearls spread out before you and a pair of
scales in your hand, with a stack of coin and a big wad of banknotes on
one side, making it look as if you was shoving the lot across to that
big stiff of a Sultan, it would be a grand advertisement. They can all
understand picture language, and they'll know what you look like if
they want you."
"The idea's all right," I admitted, "but how am I going to get the pictures to these folk?1'
"Leave
that to me, old chap," he said. "You just give me the order for five
thousand good sized pictures—not less than five thousand, you
understand, and I'll get them where they ought to do you the most good.
But I don't want you to buy a pig in a poke, so I'll let you in on
something. When the Government men go out to collect the head-tax,
they'll each be tickled to take along a batch of these photos, because
as like as not they will peddle them for a piece of money and every
Moro will want to have the pretty picture with his Sultan in it."
I gave him the order on the spot.
Jamalal
Kiram II. was "sure tickled to death" to be in the picture, for Dicky
told him that it was meant for the White House and the British Court.
Within
three weeks the advertisement told, and it kept telling for years. I
think I owe it to Dicky Gibbs, therefore, to introduce him to you as he
appeared at the time. He was above middle height, sparely built,
big-boned with a cleanshaven, sun-parched face; jaws and chin not of
too much consequence, eyes blue-gray with a twinkle in them, hair
snowy-white, the result of that unfortunate Manila parachute descent
of his. But his garb was most splendid. No tailor's cutter could have
designed a costume more exquisite. It was a mufti-uniform, half
civilian, half United States Army style, wrought of white twilled duck
which clung to his shape as closely as if he had been poured into it.
With this he wore white buckskin
|
|||
|
|
|||