The White Waterfall

e proverb when you judge it from a Polynesian standpoint. No special preparations are required for slumber in the last haunts of Romance, and

, 1905, and I decided to follow the example set by the inhabitants. The thermometer in the shack at the end of the wharf registered 98 degrees, but the picturesque little town, with its white and vermilion-tinted houses, looked restful and cool. The hot, still at

ting place. Besides, the rays of sun followed the strip of shadow around the pile, and each time I slipped into a doze I would be pricked into wakefulness. At last, maddened by t

ut into the silence like sound projectiles. The Maori had such a high-pitched voice that I thought, as I rolled over restlessly, he would only have to raise it a little to make t

the pearl shell, but the noise of that fool talking fairly sizzled in my brain. Finally I gave up all hopes of tryi

talking English. Up to that moment I thought the pair were arguing in some unfamilia

te waterfall," c

waterfall," repe

o along si

t?" question

you fool!" screa

ttered the rebuked one. "An' that's

he Fijian; then the two lifte

the way

he way t

e way to

Fernand

d as to the direction in which one must walk from the white waterfall that made me interested. I turned the words over in my mind as I watched them saunter slowly toward me. Black Fernando's hell and t

d up their voices in the chant, then the Maori began to cross-quest

paces?"

answered

right, i

ructor. "It is to the left, pig! Do you hear me? You must go to the left from th

d of the bully, hurried to obey the

the left," squ

left," roared the Ma

the way

he way t

e way to

-

were much surprised at finding any one within hearing distance. The wharf had appeared deserted, and I gave them a start by crawling from underneath the awning I had made from the copra bag. The Maori wore a dirty khaki coat, with a pair of trousers reac

re that white waterfall is I'd go a

surprise and looked up at his big teach

erfall, boss?"

ere singing ab

out a white waterfall, boss," he spluttered. "I

voice he owned, so when he suggested that I had been dreaming, I climbed to my feet so tha

town. The Maori stood his ground for a minute, then he made a face to express his contempt for me and bolted after his mate. I stared at his bare legs walloping the planks,

endeavour to find out the meaning of their mysterious chant, but just a

ellow of about two and twenty years, who was smiling broadly as if he tho

ck Verslun?

too warm to use

sent me after yo

" I a

mate died on the run down from Sydney, and Captain Newmarch sen

you bound

hiki

at

the direction of Professor

aken a hand in a number of games after that. A fast yacht is a handy vessel south of the line, and some queer tales were told about the boat that had once shown her heels to the crackerjacks in the Solent. But I couldn't afford to be particular at that moment. Levuka isn't the spot where a man can pick and choose, so I wiped the shell grit from my drill suit and told mysel

thought I had enough of the Islands, but as this has turned up I'

at me and grinned. "Ye

mber much of

ch," he

aterfall that is on the way to heaven ou

e was turning things over in his mental storehouse, then

wled. "What's

?" he asked. "I came to sign you up for a m

something of a white waterfall. I'm not sure that it is menti

tain Newmarch told me to hurry back to the yacht, as he wants to get away by s

ted his words led you to believe that he would give a man's account of himself if any one pushed him up against a wall. While he made some purchases in the little stores, I went up to the broken-

f the two natives at the oars was the little Fijian who had been the

ked Holman. "Do

ere singing that song about t

lley of indignant denia

came ashore with me about two hours ag

on protesting that he had never moved from th

own from the town, ran along to the sea end of the wharf and waved

red. "Perhaps it is somebody w

outing to us, and when my ears caught a word I recognized him. It was th

as blank. For some reason or other he wished to ignore

red Holman. "The darned

stir me curiously as they swirled around us. I had a desire to memorize the chant, and even after we had got

he way to

Fernand