The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1871-03-21
No. 12.

Satmotl0nleSS, but finally curiosity prompt
ed me to make an examination of the place
was in beyond a large wooden trough,
in the centre of it which appeared to be
filled with banana leaves, few calabashes
in the corner, and several blocks similar to
the one was sitting on seemed to be all
it contained. l had barely finished my
mental note of its contents and wondering
what it was used for, when the king, ac-
companied by the hostages 1 had left
aboard, and several Chiefs came into the
room beyond grunt or two they paid no
attention to me, but going to the corner
and taking the gourds, had a square drink
all round. One of them was sufficiently
polite to pass me one of them, and as l took
small taste, more out of curiosity and
fear of offence than desire for the liquor
they held, the party, seemed greatly salts
fled at my action. The liquor was fiery
sort of rum, and little went great ways
with me; and had 1 known then, as
l afterwards did, that it was the fermented
extract of the cava root made by women
who chewed it and spit it into bowl to
work, should have passed at once. Igno-
is bliss, however, and 1 swallowed
small dose unsuspectingly, saying as I did
so with tie Turks, do as the Turkeys
do
"When that performance was over, they
went to the trough in the centre of the
room, and throwing the banana leaves off
from the top, invited me by gestures to join
them, and on my doing so, l was Mortified
to see them expose to view the body of
small girl, roasted to a turn. Sick and
disgusted l went outside the door. and
stayed until they joined me after their sick
ening feast.
"When they were through, they met me
outside, and after talking earnestly to-
gether for some minutes, they conducted
me to hut that was apparently new, and
here, in the companyo of anative woman for
a servant I lived in idleness for some weeks.
closely watched by guard who prevented
my leaving certain limits, totally uncon-
scious of the fact that the woman was in
tened for my wife, which l shortly learned
to be the fact in curious way.
"One morning there was loud shouting
outside the stockade, and soon / saw the
king, accompanied by native who was tat
tooed from head to foot enter my hut for
twenty minutes they conversed rapidly,
and then my calico-looking visitor turning
to me said
"'Well, my hearty, how do you like it,
far as as you've got
Had thunderbolt struck me / would
not have been more surprised than to hear
the native address me so we'll in my own
language but managed to stammer out,
mot a first-class situation, and I'll resign
without whimper to the first applicant;
but who and what are you
Runaway sailor turned native was
the frank answer.
"'What are they going to do with me?'
inquired.
"' Keep you for blacksmith, and you
refuse, eat you, was the reply.
"Tll blacksmith WHILE hastily re-
piled if eating is the alternative
"'Sensible man, my interlocutor ejacu-
lated show do you get along with your
wife?'
"'Wife I am not married man = |
quickly said.
A" Looks something like it, he replied,
with quiet nod toward the corner where
my servant crouched with sullen look in
her face.
"'Did they mean her for my wife? p !
asked, surprised and amused at the infor-
nation.
"'Just that, and she is as mad as hops
because the chief sent her here when she
wanted another
"'Tell her to clear out Vamose the
rancho don't want herp ] shouted,
warmly
"'You'll be in trouble with her family
in five minutes if she is sent away, and
then look out for your cocoanut; better
keep her, I've got ten, he gravely said.
"'Ten wives?' gasped.
"'Just the number and forty children
"'Forty children
"'That's the count to the decimal part
of fraction
"'I was dumb with anna cement. Here
was white man coolly telling he had ten
wives and forty children, quietly domciled
in the Cannibal Islands, and while taking
it as matter of course, seemed to think
should.
81 had read of Mormonism, but here was
polygamy staring me right in the face, and
l.. sL..L... L Z =