(3 of 3)
Perfidy and Perfume. Just outside Adigrat, first town captured in the Italian advance, a Fascist machine gun post last week saw a white flag waving in the thorn bushes. Soon an Ethiopian messenger went forward with important news. Gabbling excitedly, Italian officers hurried up, summoned an Army car. Into it stepped Ras Gugsa and a subordinate chief, Kassa Araia. They were hustled to the headquarters of General Ruggiero Santini, commander at Adigrat. Hours of conference followed while the word spread that the Emperor's Bad-Son-In-Law was surrendering.
At Asmara, Ras Gugsa made formal obeisance to Commander De Bono. Enjoying the advantages of civilization to the full in a swank staff car, he rolled through the streets looking amiable but dazed. His first move was to pop into Asmara's leading barber shop. There he made a bee line, sniffing ecstatically, for the perfume counter, loaded his pockets with odorous presents for his numerous female friends in the back country.
Should Il Duce decide to imitate the Japanese in Manchuria and set up a puppet kingdom in the part of Ethiopia already captured, he has a perfect Henry Pu Yi in Ras Gugsa, sainted King John's descendant.