Island Nights' Entertainments

dropping in about dark and smoking his pipe with the family. He could talk to Uma, of course, and started to teach me native and French at the same

struck out, there wouldn't have been a pound of copra in the house. This was the idea: Fa'avao (Uma's mother) had a score of bearing trees. Of course we could get no labour, being all as good as tabooed, and the two women and I turned to and made copr

y looking on, and once that nigger turned up. He stood back with the natives

u nigger!

you, Sah," says the nigger.

lf to you, Mr. Black Jack. And all I want to know is ju

ah," s

ll show you the own brother to it, only b

and my hands down; only there was trouble i

bstropulous fell

et!" s

t so it would have done your heart good to see him travel. And that w

d of the cape, a heavy surf ran on the shores of the bay. A little cliffy hill cut the valley in two parts, and stood close on the beach; and at high water the sea broke right on the face of it, so that all passage was stopped. Woody mountains hemmed the place all round; the barrier to the east was particularly steep and leafy, the lower parts of it, along

y were the last this way. For the whole "eye" of the island, as natives call the windward end, lay desert. From Falesá round about to Papa-malulu, there was neither

day with me where nobody could see them; and as I had begun to pick up native, and most of them had a word or two of English, I began to hold little odd

e edge of the bush, looking east, with a Kanaka. I had given him a fill of tobacco, a

here was no road

road," said he

go there?

e. "Too much devi

got-um plenty de

il," said my friend. "Stop there all-

nd spoke of them so free, which is not common, I had be

me one devi

id he soothingly. "T

devil?" I

Devil stop bush,"

e, with a gun in his hand, step forth into the sunshine on the black beach. He was got up in light pyjamas, near wh

"you no talk all-e-same tr

says my friend; and, with a "Goo

rotting quite near him on the sand, or wheeling and calling in his ears. When he passed me I could see by the working of his lips that he was talking to himself, and wha

pt repeating that native word, which I remembered by "Poll

I got back, "what

," say

was the word f

top bush, eat Kanaka. Tiapolo big chief de

'm no farther forward.

iapolo too much like; Ese all-e-same his son. Sup

Ese," says I. "And what kind o

r, had accompanied him, and had heard him speak with the dead and give them orders, and, safe in his protection, had returned unscathed. Some said he had a church there, where he worshipped Tiapolo, and Tiapolo appeared to him; others swore that there was no sorcery at all, that he performed his miracles by the power of prayer, and the c

at Master Case's place of worship mysel

t in the high bush I should never return; none

a good sort of a fellow, Uma, as fellows

," said she, mighty solemn-and then,

et!" s

too much?" sh

I believed the old lady

o-too far off. Maea he small chief-stop here. Suppose he like you-make you all right. All-e-same God and Ti

r. Tarleton," said I. "Your theo

desert and its dangers, she came near frightening herself into a fit. I don't remember half

maybe twelve the other. But they laughed at his words, and, being five to one, pulled in, beached the boat, and landed. It was a wonderful pleasant place, Lotu said, and the water excellent. They walked round the beach, but could see nowhere any way to mount the cliffs, which made them easier in their mind; and at last they sat down to make a meal on the food they had brought with them. They were scarce set, when there came out of the mouth of one of the black caves six of the most beautiful ladies ever seen: they had flowers in their hair, and the most beautiful breasts, and necklaces of scarlet seeds; and began to jest with these young gentlemen, and the young gentlemen to jest back with them, all but Lotu. As for Lotu, he saw there could be no living woman in such a place, and ran, and flung himself in the bottom of the boat, and covered his face, and prayed. All the time the business lasted Lotu made one clean break of prayer, and that was all he knew of it, until his friends came back, and made him sit up, and they put to sea again out of the bay, which was now quite desert, and no wo

l me you can swallow a

this was the only case where five had been slain the same day and in a company by the love of th

bout me. I've no use for the women-devils. You're al

t high. It was a dark day in the rainy season, and now there came squalls that tore off the leaves and sent them flying, and now it was all still as in a house. It was in one of these still times that a whole gang of birds and flying foxes came pegging out of the bush like creatures frightened. Presently after she heard a rustle nearer hand, and saw, coming out of th

" said I. "I guess that pig would hav

use with the like of these, wh

t reaches right across the island, but how they know it is another question, for I doubt if anyone has made the journey in a hundred years, the natives sticking chiefly to the sea and their little colonies along the coast, and that part being mortal high and steep and full of cliffs. Up to the west side of the wall, the ground has been cleared, and there are cocoa palms and mummy-apples and guavas, and lots of sensitive plants. Just across, the bush begins outright; high bush at that, tr

gers of your hand; and whenever he listens he hears always something new-men talking, children laughing, the strokes of an axe a far way ahead of him, and sometimes a sort of a quick, stealthy scurry near at hand that makes him jump and look to his weapons. It's all very well for him to tell himself

the like of. It was all very fine to tell myself it was the branches; I knew better. It was all very fine to tell myself it was a bird; I knew never a bird that sang like that. It rose and swelled, and died away and swelled again; and now I thought it was like someone weeping, only prettier; and now I thought it was like harps; and there was one thing I made sure of, it was a sight too sweet to be wholesome in a place like that. You may laugh if you like; but I declare I called to m

not gone far when I met with a queer thing. The wind came on the top of the wood in a strong puff, the leaves in front of me burst open, and I saw for a second something hanging in a tree. It was gone in a wink, the puff blowing by and the leaves closing. I tell you the truth: I had made up my mind to see an aitu; and if the thing had looked

a place where there are square things that sing, I

out loud; and all the time I was praying the strange sounds came out of the tree, and went up and down, and change

and began to climb. I tell you my heart was like ice. But presently, as I went up, I caught another glimpse of the thing, and t

side of it; and it had banjo strings stretched so as to sound when the wind b

frighten me again," I says, and slipped down the tree, and set out aga

thinking to myself, the place might have once been cleared, when I came on my nose over a pile of stones, and saw in a moment it was some kind of a work of man. The Lord knows when it was made or when deserted, for this part of the island has lain undisturbed since long before the whites came. A few steps beyond I hit into the path I had been always looking for. It was narrow, bu

eam of such a piece of building. Along all the top of it was a line of queer figures, idols or scarecrows, or what not. They had carved and painted faces ugly to view, their eyes and teeth were of shell, their hair and their bright clothes blew in the wind, and some of them worked with

hing by which so many traders turn an honest penny. And with that I saw the whole business, and how this display serve

arps were harping round me in the trees, and even while I looked, a green-and-yellow bird

lin stretched on boards, so that this was plainly the roof of a cellar. It stood right on the top of the hill, and the entrance was on the far side, between two rocks, like the entrance to a cave

s I, "lumi

go back to yourself any way round from ten to fifteen years old, and there's an average Kanaka. There are some pious, just as there are pious boys; and the most of them, like the boys again, are middling honest and yet think it rather larks to steal, and are easy scared and rather like to be so. I remember a boy I was at school with at home who played the Case business. He didn't know anything, that boy; he couldn't

I cocked my gun and held it handy, and we marched up and passed without a word, each keeping the tail of his eye on the other; and no sooner had we passed than we each wheeled r

t nothing,"

the shoot to

l go with you f

e to you

way we were; no fear o

n't stop here all da

me detain y

ere, Wiltshire, do you th

e, if you want

the hill behind you, after pigeons; they might be watching us this minute, and I shouldn't wonder. I give you my word I don't want to shoot you. Why should I? You don't hinder me any. You haven't got one pound of copra but what y

ing; it ain't done yet, Mr. Case. I've given you one turn already; I can see the marks of my knuckles on your head to this blooming hour, and I've m

" said he. "This is not the t

u know it. I can put in a day on this beach and never mind. I ain't go

took the wind out of his sails, and he stood and stared at me with his brow d

he, and turned his back, and wal

out for cover as lively as you would want to see, and went the rest of the way home under the bush, for I didn't trust him

e out there were strangers there; a little farther, and no doubt about it. There was a couple of armed sentinels squatting at my door. I could only suppose the trouble ab

Maea, and that he was smiling away and smoking. And what was he smoking? None of your European cigarettes fit for a cat, not even the genuine big, knock-me-down native article that a fellow can really put in the time wi

up, and he met me at the head of my

was the best they could m

e from the word go. There was no call for Uma to say to me: "He no 'fraid Ese now, come bring c

that man was worth fifty thousand nuts per annum. I gave him the price of the beach and a quarter cent better, and as for credit, I would have advanced him the inside of the store and the fittings besides, I was so pleased to see him. I must say he bought like a gentleman: rice and tins and biscuits enough for a week's feast, and stuffs by the bolt. He was agreeable besides; he had plenty fun

hority. More than that, after my talk with Case on the beach, I thought it might very well cost me my life. Case had as good as said he would pot me if ever I got a

orry I made him wait, but I was up looki

f you no 'fraid?

place is a blooming toy-shop! Tell him in Engla

you hear devil sin

traptions right here in my verandah, and he can see for himself how much devil there is to it. Tell him, as soon as I can get the strings I'll make one fo

he had to try his English ag

e got such a thing, and I'll kiss it. Or, I'll tell you what's better still," s

could venture as far as

all that's left of it. But tell him this, Uma, and mind he understands it: If he gets talking, it's bound to come to Case, and I'm a de

me up to the hilt, and, says he: "No

e here to trade, tell him, and not to make frien

pretty well please