Chester Himes - Cotton comes to Harlem

"You think we should go after him?"

"Man, we've already recovered the stolen money. How're we going to explain another eighty-seven grand?"

"Anyway, let's find out where he's gone."

Two days later they got a verification from Air France that they had flown a very old colored man with a passport issued to Cotton Bud of New York City by way of Paris to Dakar.

They wired the prefecture in Dakar:

WHAT DO YOU HAVE ON OLD COTTON HEADED U.S. NEGRO… NEW YORK TO DAKAR BY AIR FRANCE… Jones, Harlem Precinct, New York City.

SENSATIONAL STUPENDOUS INCROYABLE… M. COTTON HEADED BUD BUYS

50 °CATTLE HIRES 6 HERDSMEN 2 GUIDES 1 WITCH DOCTEUR… TOOK TO THE

BRUSH… WOMEN FAINTED… THREW SELVES INTO SEA… M. le Prefect, Dakar.

FOR MILK OR MEAT… Jones, Harlem.

MONSIEUR QUELLE QUESTION… FOR WIVES WHAT ELSE… Prefect, Dakar.

HOW MANY WIVES WILL 50 °CATTLE BUY… Jones, Harlem.

M. COTTON HEADED BUD ALSO HAS MUCH MONEY… M. BUD HAS BOUGHT

100 WIVES OF MOYEN QUALITE… NOW SHOPPING FOR BEST… WANTS LA

MEME NUMERO AS SOI. OMAN… Prefect, Dakar.

STOP HIM QUICK… HE WILL DROP DEAD BEFORE SAMPLING…

Jones, Harlem.

SHOULD HUSBAND DIE WIVES MAKE BEST MOURNERS… Prefect, Dakar.

"Well, at least Uncle Bud got to Africa," Coffin Ed said.

"Hell, the way that old mother-raper is behaving, he might have come from Africa," Grave Digger said.