The sun., 1891-05-24

little mistress Is grown up, she should be q
Poor little mstressi whore is she now
Who're arc my minstres? There was q cloud
upon their island. They anug that day nnder
its shadow: 1t has burst since then.
LEPRosr AT PESEHYN.
Some ten years ago Mr.. Ben Herd was trad
ing in tho atoll. Several whites had then re-
Gently been murdered: and the traders carried
their lines In thcr band. Once in particular
Mr.. Herd believes there was plan to slay him.
He had gone down from one settlement to the
other on affairs. A little girl came to him
whom be was alone aud pre 'sed him to return:
You had better come with NO." was her
word Iie asked her why: he told her OF his
business: he pressed her for n reason. To all
she had but the one answer. You had better
como with mo-" He was growing impatient OF
her iteration: when OF q sudden tho fear OF
death fell cold upon his spirit. and he caught
hcr by the hand. ran for his boat, and fed with
her alone on the lagoon. have seon her. now
grown sta!wart woman. and never. from that
day to this. has she OK planned her conduct.
In 1890. when was at Penrhyn. Mr. Herd
was supercargo on the Janet Nicoll; and know
ing had visited the lazaretto ON Moiokai he
called me In consultation. 1t Ia strange"
said he. when was here there was no such
thing rs leprosy upon the island; aud now
there seems a great deal. Look at that man.
and tell me what you think" The man was
leprous ms Naaman.
The story goes that leper escaped from
Moiokai In an open boat. and landed. some say
in Penrhyn. some say first in Manhikl. There
are many authentic boat VOYAGES diHlcult to
credit; but this OF thirty degrees due north
and south. and from the one trade to the other
across the equatorial doldrums ranks with the
most extraordinary We may suppose the
westerly current to have been entirely inter-
mitted. tho easrerly strong. and the fugitive
we'll supplied with food. Or We may explain
tho tale to be legend. framed to conceal the
complaisance OF some ill-judRing skipper One
thing at least is sure: Hawaiian leper. in
an advanced stage Of the disease. and
admitting that he had escaped from
Molokai appeared suddenly in these distant
Islands. and was seen by Mr.. H. j. Moors OF
Apia walking at large in Penrhyu. Mr.. Moors
is not quite certain OF the date. for he visited
tho atoll In '83 and again In 'S4: but another
OF my neighbors. Mr.. Harper. was trading In
Penrhyn all the frat year. Ho saw nothing OF
the Hawaiian and this pins us to tho later
date. 1 am tediously particular on this point.
because tho result is amazing Seven years is
supposed to be the period OF leprous incuba-
tion; and the whole OF my tale. from the first
Introduction OF the taint to the outbreak Of
a little more than six. At tho time when We
should have scarce looked for the appearance
OF the earliest case. the population was already
stepped In leprosy.
The Polynesians assuredly derive from Asia:
and Asia, since the dawn OF history, has been
camping ground OF this disease. OF two
things. either the Po!ynss,an left ere the
disease began and Is now for the first time ex-
posed to the contagion. or he has been SO long
sequsstered that Asiatic leprosy has had tho
time to vary, and finds In him virgin soil.
The facts are not clear; we are told. on one
hand. that some indigenous form Of the disease
was known in Samoa within the memory OF
man We a,e assured. on the other. that there
is not name for 1t In any island langu-
age. There is no doubt at least about tho
savage rapidity with which 1t spreads when in
troduced. And'fhero IS nUne--rnxr when q
leper Is first seen. the islanders approach him
without dsafiection and are neyerbackward to
supply him with WIFE, ! ind this singular:
for few races are more sensitive to beauty.
OF which their own affords so high q
standard: and have observed that whom the
symptoms are described to him in words. the
islander displays high degree Of horror and
disgust His stringent ideals of courtesy and
hospitality and II certain debile kindliness of
disposition must explain his conduct. AS for
the marriage. the stranger once received, it
follows ms n thing OF course. To refuse the
male is still considered in most parts OF Poly
nesia a rather unlovely riRor IN the female:
and II a man be dishgured. believe 1t would
be held sort OF charity 10 co nsole his solitude
A kind island girl might thus go 10 leper's
bed in something OF the same spirit as we visit