The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-09-13

has no lands, only the Use "a sNfA a. al <
impignorate for tnes. He cannot enrich
himself in the old way by marriages.
Thrift is the chief pillar Of his fortune,
and he knows and uses il. Eleven foreign
traders pay him a patent Of 500, some
300 subjects capitation st the rate
of 81 for a man, 50 cents for woman, and
/ shilling for a child Allowing for the
exchange, perhaps total Of 500 year.
He had been some nine months on the
throne, had bought his wife silk dress
and hat, figure unknown, and himself a
uniform at 5000; had sent his brother s
photograph to be enlarged in San Fran
cisco at $3.50; had greatly reduced that
brothers legacy Of debt, and had still
sovereigns in his pocket. An affectionate
brother, good economist, he was, besides.
handy carpenter, and cobbled OCCASION
ally on the woodwork of the palace. II IS
not wonderful that Mr.. Corpre has Writ
ues; that Tebureimoa should have diver
sion filled me with surprise
This chapter Of history / have collected
from the lips OF eyewitnesses and actors,
Maka himself, Mr.. Benson, an old resi-
dent, and a fair helper, Mrs. Adolph Rick.
Butaritari: Around Our House.
When we left the palace we were still but
seafarers ashore; and within the hour We
had installed our goods in one of the six
foreign houses of Butaritari. Two san
Francisco firms are here established,
Messrs. Crawford and Messrs. Wightman
Bros, the first hard by the palace in the
midtown, the second at the north entry,
each with a store and barroom. Our house
was in the Wightman compound, bet"Lxs
the store and bar, within a fenced en-
closure. Across the road few native
houses nestled in the margin OF the
bush, and the green wall OF palms rose
solid, shutting out the breeze A llttle
sandy cove OF the lagoon ran IN behlnd,
sheltered by veraniahed pier, the labor
of Queens hands. Here, when the TIDE
was high, sailboats lay TO be loaded. When
the tide was low the boats took ground
some half q mile away, and an endless
series of natives descended the pier stair,
toiled across the sand in strings and clus-
tiers waded to the waist with the bags Of
copra, and loitered backward 10 renew
their charge. The mystery of the c0pra
trade tormented me as | sat and watched
the profits drip on the stair and the sands.
In front, from shortly after 4 in the
morning until 8 at night, the folks of the
town streamed by Us intermIttingly along
the road; families going up the island TO
make copra on their lands: women bound
for the bush TO gather flowers against the
evening toilet; and twice day the toddy
cutters, each with his knife and shell. In
the first gray of the morning and again
late in the afternoon these would struggle
past about their treetop business Strike
off here and there into the bush and van
ish from the face of the earth. At about
the same hour in the morning, If
the tide be low in the lagoon, you
are likely to oe bound Yourself
across the island FOR a bath, and may
enter close at their heels the alleys of the
palm wood. Right in front. although the
sun Is not yet risen. the east is already
lighted with preparatory fires, and the huge
accumulations of the trade wind cloud glow
with and heIiograph the coming day.
The breeze is In your face, overhead in the
tops of the palms, its playthings, it MAIN
tains a lively hustle; look where YOU will,
above or below, there is no human pres
ence. And right overhead the song of an
invisible singer breaks from the thick
leaves; from further on a second tree-top
answers, and beyond again, in the bosom
OF the woods. a still more distant MN
strel perches and sways and sings. So,
all round the isle, the toddy cutters sit on
high and are rocked by the trade and have
a view far to seward, where they keep
watch for sails, and, like huge birds, utter
their songs in the morning. They sing
the volume of sound and the articulate
melody fall unexpected from the tree-top.
whence we anticipate the chattering of
fowls. And yet IN Il sense these songs
also are but chatter; the words are an
cient, obsolete and sacred; few compre-
bend them. perhaps no one perfectly; but
it was understood the cutters ''prayed to
have good toddy and sang of their old
wars" The prayer is at least answered /;
and when the roaming shell is brought to
your door you have a beverage well
worthy of a grace" All forenoon you
may return and taste; il only sparkles
and sharpens and grows to be new
drink, not less delicious; but with the
progress of the day the fermentation
quickens and grows acid; in twelve hours
II will be yeast for bread, in two days
more deyilish intoxicant, the counsellor
of crime.
The men are of n marked Arabian cast
OF features, often bearded and mustachioed,
often gayIy dressed, some with bracelets
and anklets, ali stalking hidaigo-like, and
accepting salutations with a naughty lip.
The hair with the dandies of either seK) IS
worn turban wise in iriZZled bush, and
like the daggers Of the Japanese, a pointed
stick FUSED for comb IS thrust gailantly
among the curis. The women from TINS
bush of hair look forth enticirgly. The
race must not be compared with the Tahs
tian for female beauty; | doubt even if the
average be high; but some OF the prettle S,
girls and one Of the handsOmest women
ever saw were Giibertincs. Butaritarf
being the commercial center Of the group
Is Europeanlzed; the colOTci sacque or tie
white SHIFT are common wear. the latter
for the evening; the trade hat loaded
with flowers, fruits and ribbons, is unfor.
tunately not unknown; and the character
istIc female dress Of the GIlbcrts no Longer
universal. The ridi is its name--a cults
pettiCoat or fringe of the smoked fibre %,
the cOCoanut leaf, not unlike tarry strings
the lower edge not reaching the mid thigh
the upper adjusted 20 lOW upon the
launches that 1t seems II cling by ac
Cident. sneeze, You think. ami the lad )
must surely be left destitute. The peril
Gus. harbreadth rldi" was cur word
for it: and in the conflict that RACES over
womeu's dress IL has the misfortune &
please neither side; the rrudish condemn
ing IL as insufficient, the more frivolous
finding ~ unloveiv in Itself Yet if pretty
ciiberiine would look her best that must
hc her costume. In that, and make other
Mise, she moves with an incompatible
liberty and grace AMI life that makes the
poetry of Micronesia. Bundle her in q
gown the charm Is lied. and she Wriggie.
ike an Engilshwoman.
Toward dusk the passers-bv hccam,
more gorgeous. The men broke out in aI
the colors of the rainbow, or at least the
trade room, and both men and women be-
gan 10 be adorned and scented with new
IOwCrs. A small white blossom is The
favortte. sometimes SOW sjngiy in a woa
man hair ike stars now composed IN
thick wreath. With the night the Crpa 4
tblckened in the road, and the padding
aud brushing of bare feet became cuut.n.
nous: the pUomCnader~ mostly grave. tee
silence only interrupted bv some gie,' "a
anu sCamperlUg OF t.lr.S. even the ciIi q! -t-rt