Island Nights' Entertainments

, the mission-boat was shooti

true to the boat-song; and the missionary under the awning, in his white clothes, reading in a book, and set him up! It was pretty to see and hear; there's no smarter sight in the

idea was to keep me apart from the missionary, who might serve me as interpreter; but my mind was upon other things. I was thinki

you low, swindli

at you say

oath. "And if ever I catch you within six fathoms of my ho

" said he, "where I told you I have no tho

aid I. "I have no idea of a hound like you eave

e it, though

you, then

o see about t

man like me, and, besides, I was blazing to that height of wrath that I could have bit into a chisel. I gave

lood spread upon his face like wine upon a napkin. "Have you had enough?" I crie

the look of him you could see it was spi

s he, and he got up staggering, and

d laid his book to one side, and I smiled to m

suck up with natives instead of with other white men like themselves. I had on a rig of clean striped pyjamas-for, of course, I had dressed decent to go before the chiefs; but when I saw the missionary step out of this boat in the regular uniform, white duck clothes, pith h

lieve?" says I, for

ose, are the new

on, "and that I think you and the likes of you do a sight of harm

opinions," says he, looking a bit ug

'm no Kanaka, nor favourer of Kanakas-I'm just a trader; I'm just a common, low-down, God-damned

plain than creditable. When you a

Kanakas were beginning to growl. Guess they didn't like m

nt a service-I want two services, in fact; and, if you care to give me

en he smiled. "You are rather

e me," says I. "I don't set

," said he. "And what c

the beach could only get their tongues about it. And what do I want? Well, I'll tell you the first thing. I'

ly for the time my crew are dining. I must be much farther down the coast before night. I was d

pleased with myself for the way I had managed the

o see you figh

said. "That's service number two. After you've hear

t out of gratitude, and liked her the better. She and Mr. Tarleton called each other by name, and he was very civil to her seemingly. But I thought little of t

ertificate." She looked put out. "Come,

ld go to hell. I couldn't see where she put it the first time, I couldn't see now where she took it from; it seemed to jump into her

ure, I promise you. Since then I've found that there's a kind of cry in the place against this wife of mine, and so long as I keep her I cannot trade. Now, what would an

gan to clap her hands; but I

u or any other missionary, and to up and say: 'I was wrong married to this wife of mine, but I think a heap of her, and now I want to be married to her right.'

in our own house; and the parson prayed a good bit, I must s

f the witnesses, "I have to thank you for a very lively pleasure. I ha

and I was ready for as much taffy as he had in stock, for I felt good. But Uma

d he get hurt

's head, old

with joy, a

a Christian of this one,

"when she was at Fale-alii; and if Uma bears mali

" said I. "I want to tell you our yarn, an

long?"

"it's a goodis

I must tell you fairly, I haven't eaten since five this morning, and, unless you can

l give you di

going straight; and so was the missionary, I suppose, but

for she got round with the salt-box, which she considered an extra European touch, and turned my stew into sea-water. Altogether, Mr. Tarleton had a devil of a dinner of it; but he had plenty entertainment by the wa

an of extraordinary parts. All our islanders easily acquire a kind of eloquence, and can roll out and illustrate, with a great deal of vigour and fancy, second-hand sermons; but Namu's sermons are his own, and I cannot deny that I have found them means of grace. Moreover, he has a keen curiosity in secular things, does not fear work, is clever at carpentering, and has made himself so much respected among the neighbouring pastors that we call him, in a jest which is half serious, the Bishop of the East. In short, I was proud of the man; all the more puzzled by his letter, and took an occasion to co

the cross were used in a Popey manner it would be sinful, but when it is used only to protect men from a devil, which is a thing harmless in itself, the sign too must be, as a bottle is neither good nor bad, harmless. For the s

elling you about the

d cannot think a trader at all a good man to advise or have an influence upon my pastors. And, besides, there had been some flyin

a man of a sancti

h he did not drink, he was profliga

nk the less you have to

se men, not pastors, not even holy, who knew many things useful to be taught-about trees for instance, and beasts, and to print books, and about the stones tha

that I am perfectly serious in these old wives' tales with which you reproached me, and as anxious to do well for these islands as you can be to please and to protect your pretty wife. And you are to remember that I thought Namu a paragon, and was proud of the man as one of the first ripe fruits of the mission. And now I was informed that he had fallen in a sort of dependence upon Case. The beginning of it was not corrupt; it began, doubtless, in fear and respect, produced by trickery and pretence; but I was shocked to find that another element had been lately added, that Namu helped himself in the store, and was believed to be deep in Case's debt. Whatever the trader said, that Namu believed with trembling. He was not alone in this; many in the village lived in a similar subjection; but Namu's case was the most influential, it was through Namu Case had wrought most evil;

s as I had than go abroad in quest of others that must certainly prove worse; and a scandal is, at the best, a thing to be avoided when humanly possible. Right or wrong, then, I determined on a quiet course. All that night I denounced and reasoned with the erring pastor, twitted him with his ignorance and want of faith, twitted him with his wretched attitude, making clean the outside of the cup and platter, callously helping at a murder, childishly flying in excitement about a few childish, unnecessary, and inconvenient gestures; and long before day I had him on his knees and bathed in the tears of what seemed a genuine repentance. On Sunday I took the pulpit in the morning,

and the same afternoon he made an occasion to meet me in the midst of the village. He ca

preaching upon the love of God; but that was not in his heart, it was between his teeth. Will you know what was in his heart?'-

which I have seen performed at home a score of times; but how was I to convince the villagers of that? I wished I had learned legerdemain instead of Heb

u not to lay hands

you of your dollar. Here it is,' he said, and flung it

t was well pl

used of poisoning Adams; he drove Vigours out of the place by lies that might have led to murder; and there is no question but he has now made up his

t of trouble," says I. "

a may they make in this dis

much as sixty

rofit to the local

it, three po

some report against Uma, in order to isolate and have his wicked will of her. Failing of that, and seeing a new rival come upon the scene, he used

all-e-same,

elsewhere. You have two people at hand to whom you might apply. There is, first of all, the priest, who might protect you by the Catholic interest; they are a wretchedly small body, but they count two chiefs. And then there is old Faiaso. Ah! if it had been some years ago you would have needed no one

n hour later the crew were singing and th