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Fly
All things being ready, Fly
With a languid gesture such as might have been used by Nero to signal the start of a Roman circus, Fly
Along the rough road through the thick coastal bush, they came at last to Beira and entered the main street in procession.
"Good Lord," Sebastian expressed his surprise when he saw the reception that awaited them, "where did they all come from?"
Both sides of the street were lined with cheering crowds, mainly natives, but with here and there a Portuguese or an Indian trader come out of his shop to find the cause of the disturbance.
"Fini!" chanted the crowd, clapping their hands in unison.
"Bwana Mkuba! Great Lord! Slayer of elephant. Killer of lions!"
"I didn't realize that Fly
"Most of them have never heard of him," Rosa disillusioned him. "He sent Mohammed in last night to gather a claque of about a hundred or so. Pays them one escudo each to come and cheer, they make so much noise that the entire population turns out to see what is going on. They fall for it every time."
"What on earth does he go to so much trouble for?"
"Because he enjoys it. just look at himV
Lying in his maschille, graciously acknowledging the applause, Fly
The head of the procession reached the only hotel in Beira and halted. Madame da Souza, the portly, well moustached widow who was the proprietress of the hotel, rushed down to welcome Fly
When Rosa and Sebastian at last fought their way through the crowd into the hotel, Fly
In fact, so pleased was His Excellency with the progress of the partnership's affairs, that he exercised his authority and waive the formalities required by law to precede a to marriage under Portuguese jurisdiction. This saved a week, and the afternoon after their arrival in Beira, Rosa and Sebastian stood befo " the altar in the stucco and thatch cathedral, while Sebastian tried with little success to remember enough of his schoolroom Latin to understand just what he was getting himself into.
The wedding veil, which had belonged to Rosa's mother, was yellowed by many years of storage under tropical conditions, but it served well enough to keep off the flies which were always bad during the hot season in Beira.
Towards the end of the long ceremony, Fly
The priest declared them husband and wife, and the congregation launched into a faltering rendition of the Te Deum. His voice quivering with emotion and alcohol, Fly
Still maintaining his chorus of "My little girl," Fly
When, later that evening, Rosa and Sebastian slipped away to the bridal suite above the bar, Fly
Later the pleasure of Rosa and Sebastian's wedding-bed was disturbed by the fact that, in the bar-room directly below them, Fly
14.50 escudos; one bottle Grandio French Cognac Five Star
14.50 escudos; one bottle Grandio Scotch whisky 30.00 escudos; I magnum Grandio French Champagne 75.90 escudos."
"Grandio" was the brand-name of the house, and signified that the liquor each bottle contained had been brewed and bottled on the premises under the personal supervision of Madame da Souza.