The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-11-01


1t Is founded on poker, played with the
| honors out Of many packs, and inconceiv-
ably dreary. But | have passion for all
games. studied II, and am supposed TO be
the only white who ever fairly grasped it's
principle; fact for which the wives with
whom | am not otherwise popular) adj
mired me with reclamation. 1t was i'm
possible to be deceived; this was genuine
feeling; they were proud of their pri-
vate game, had been cut to the quick
by the want of interest In others, and ex-
banded under the battery of my attention.
Iemolnok' puts up double stake and re-
celves In return two hands to choose
from: shallow article which the wives
On all these years) have not yet fathomed
He himself, when talking with me pri-
vately, made not the least secret that he
was secure OF winning; and 1t was thus
he explained his recent liberality on
board the Equator. He let the wives huy
their own tobacco, which pleased them at
the moment. He won it back at cards.
which made him once more and without
fresh expense that which he ought to be,
the sole tount OF all indulgences. And
he summed the matter up in that phrase
with which he almost always concludes
any account of his policy: mo BETA"
The palace compound is livid with
broken coral, exCrucIating to the eyes and
the bare feet, but exquisitely raked and
weeded. a score or more of buildings lie
In sort OF street along the palisade and
scattered on the margin of the terrace;
dweiiing-houses for the wives and the at
PENDANTS, storehouses for the kings curios
and treasures, spacious monaps for feast
or council some on pillows of wood, some
on piers of masonry. One was still in
hand, new invention, the kings latest
born; European frame house built for
GOODNESS inside lofty moniap: its roof
planked like a ships deck, to be raised.
shady, and yet private promenade. 1t
was here the king spent hours with Ru-
BAN; here would sometimes Join them:
the place had most singu ar appearance,
and | must say | was greatly taken with
the fancy and Joined with relish in the
counsels of the architects.
Suppose We had business with his
majesty by day: we stro!led over the sand
and by the dwarfish palms, exchanged
''konamaori" with the crone on duty and
entered the compound. The wide sheet of
coral glared before us deserted; all having
slowed themselves IN dark canvas from
the excess Of room. | have gone to and
fro III that labyrinth of place seeking the
king; and the only breathing creature |
could find was when | peered under the
caves of a moniap' and saw the brawnv
body of one of the wives stretched on the
floor, naked Amazon plunged in noise
less sumber. If it We're still the home
of the Morning Papers" the guest would
be more easy, the half dozen obse-
qulous, sly dogs squatting on
the ground outside house, crammed as
far as possible in its narrow shadow, and
turning to the king a row of leering faces.
Tembinok' would be within, the flaps of
the cabin raised the trade blowing
through. hearing their report. Like jour
nalists nearer home, when the days news
were scanty. these would make the more
of it in words; and | have known one to
ny. har nyFnn, xrytth
airy conversation of two dogs. Sometimes
the king deigns to laugh, sometimes to
question or Jest with them, his voice
sounding shrilly from the cabin. BY his
side he may have the heir apparent, Paul,
his nephew and adopted son, years old,
human beauty. And there will al
ways be the favorite and perhaps two
other wives awake; four more lying supine
under mats and whelmed in Slumber. Or
perhaps we came later. fell on more
private hour, and found Tembinok' re-
tired in the house with the favorite, an
earthenware spittoon a leaden ink pot and
a commercial ledger. In ti,e last, lying on
his belly, he writes from day to day the
uneventful history of his reign: and when
thus employed he betrayed touch of fret
fulness on interruption with which I was
well able TO sympathize. The royal annal-
list once read me page or so, translating
ds lie WeIlt, Uut the passage D6InR genoa
logical, and the author boggling ex-
tremely in his version, | own L have
been sometimes better entertained Nor
does he coniine himself to prose, but
touches the Tyre, too, in his leisure mo-
ments. and passes for the chief bard of
his kingdom, as he is its sole public char
acter, leading architect, and only mer-
chant. His competence. however, does
not reach to music; and his verses, when
they are ready, are taught to professional
musician, who sets them and instructs the
chorus. Asked what his songs were about,
Tembinok' replied: ''Sweethearts and
trees and the sea- No all the same tune,
all the same lie" For condensed view
of logical poetry Except that he seems to
have forgot the stars and 1iowers) this
would be hard to mend. These multifari-
Gus occupations bespeak lin a native and
absolute prince unusual activity of mind.
The palace court at noon is spot TO be
remembered with awe, the visitor scram-
bling there, on the loose stones, through a
splendid nightmare Of light and heat; but
the sweep of the wind delivers ii from flies
and mosquitoes and with the set of sun it
becames heavenly. I remember it best on
mooniess nights. The air was like bath
of milk. Countless shining stars were
overhead, the lagoon paved with them
Herds of wives squatted by companions
on the gravel softly chatting. TembinOk'
would dOf his jacket and sit bare and
silent, perhaps meditating songs; the
favorite usually by him, silent also. Mean
while in the midst of the court the palace
lanterns were being lit and marshalled in
rank upon the ground; six or eight square
yards Of them; sight that gave one strange
ideas OF the number of my family" such
sight as may be seen about dusk in a corner
of some great terminus al home. Pres.
entity these Jared off into all corners of the
precinct, lighting the last labors of the
day, lighting one after another TO their
rest that "monstrous regiment of women"
A few fingered in the middle of the court
for the card party, and saw the honors
shuifed and dealt. and Tembinok' DELHI
Grating between his two hands, and the
queens losing their tobacco. Then these
also were scattered and extinguished, and
their place was taken by great bonfire,
the night light of the palace. When this
was no more smaller fires burned likewise
at the gates. These were tended by the
crones, unseen. unsleeping-not always
Unheard. Should any approach in the
dark hours. a guard, alert made the circuit
OF the paljsade. signailed her neighbor with
a stone. the rattle of falling pebbles passed
and died away. and the wardens of Tenn
binOk' crouched in their places silent as
before ROBERT Louis STEVENSON.
MERRY MISSTRELSY.