Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1894-07-05
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CHAPTER XI.
AFTER THE STORM.

but an evil dream OF the nlgnJ, anu
now past forever. The birds sang loud;
the lizards came forth from their holes
In the walls and basked, green and
god in the warm, dry sunshine. But
though the sky overhead was blue and
the air clear, as usually happen after
these alarming tropical cyclones and
transforms, the memorials of the great
wind that had ragged all night long
among the forests OF the island were
neither few or far between. Every
where the ground was strewn with
leaves, and branches, and huge stems
of cocoa-palms All nature was drag
gled Many of the trees we're stripped
clean of their foliage, as completely as
oaks in an English winter; on others
big strands of twisted tibers marked
the scars and joints where mighty
poughs had been torn away by main
force: while, elsewhere, bare stumps
alone remained to mark the former
presence of some noble dracOena or
some gigantic banyan. Bread-frults
and cocoanuUs lay tossed in the wild
est confusion on the ground: the ba-
mamma and plantain patches were
beaten level with the soil or buried
deep in the mud; many of the nuts had
given way entirely; abundant wreck
age streWed every corner Of the island.
It was an awful sight. Muriel shud-
dered to herself to see how much the
two that night had passed through.
What the outer fringing reef had
suffered from the storm they hardly
ANEW as yet, but from the door of the
hut Felix could see himself how even
the calm waters of the inner lagoon
had been dashed into wild fury by the
fierce sWoop of the tempest. Round
the entire atoll the solid co1glomeraJe
coral foor was scooEed under, broken
up, chewed fine by the waves, Or
thrown in vast fragments on the beach
of the island. BY the easter shore, in
particular, just opposite their hut Fe-
lix observed regular wall of many
feet high, piled up by the waves like
the familiar Chesil Beach near his old
ihome in Dorsetshire. 1t was the shell
ter CT that temporary barrier alone, no
doubt that had preserved their huts
last night from the full fury of the
gale, and that had allowed the natives
to congregate in such numbers prone
on their faces in the mud and rain.
upon the uncOnsecrated ground outside
their tabOO-line.
But now not an islander was to be
seen within ear-shot. All had gone
away to look after their ruined hutS or
their beaten down plantain patches,
leaving the cruel gods, who, as they
thought, had wrought all the mischief
out of pure wantOness, to repent at
leisure the harm done during the night
to their Obedient votaries.
Felix was just about to cross the
taboO-line and walk down to the shore
to examine the barrier when Toxic, his
Shadow, laying his hand on his
shoulder with more genuine interest
and affection than he had ever yet
''Oh no. Not that! Don't dare to go
outside! 1t would be very dangerous
for you. If my people were to catch
you on profane soil just now there no
saying what harm they might do to
you"
i, "Why 500" Felix exclaimed in sur
prise. LAST night, surely. they were
all prayers and promises and VOWS and
entreaties."
The young man nodded his head
in acquiescence. "Ah, yes: last night"
he answered. "That was very we'll
then. Vows were sore needed. The
storm was raging, and you were within
your taboo. How could they dare
touch you. mighty god Of the tenn
pest, at the very moment when you
were rending thei" banyan-trees and
swapping their cocoanut stems with
Hour mighty arms like so many little
chicken bones? Even Tu-kila-kila
himself, [ expect, the very high god,
day frightened in his temple, covering
by his trees, annoyed at your wrath;
H. no
worshipors no doubt, to offer up vows
and to appease your anger"
, Then Felix remembered, as his
Shadow spoke, that, as a matter of
fact, he had observed the men who
'cioaks among the motley crowd of
groveling natives who lay fiat on their
faces in the mud OF the cleared space
the night before and prayed hard for
mercy. Only they were not wearing
their robes OF Office at the moment, in
accordance with a well-knowu savage
cnstom: they had come naked and IN
disgrace, as BELTS all suppliants. They
laad Lett behind them the insignia OF
their rank in their own shaken huts,
and bowed down their bare backs to
the rain and the lightning.
.'Yes, / saw them among the other
Islanders, " Felix answered, half-smil
ling, but prudently remaining, within
the taboo-line, as his Shadow advised
him.
Toxic kept his hand still on his
masters shoulder. "Oh, king" he
said, heseechingly, and with great
solemnity, II am doing wrong to warn
YOU; | am breaking very great
Taboo. | don't know what harm may
come to me for telling you. Perhaps
Tu-kila-kila will burn me to ashes
with one glance of his eyes. He may
know this minute what I'm saying here
alone to you"
1t is hard for white man TO meet
scruples like this; but Felix was bold
enough to answer outright: "Iu-hl la.
Kila knows nothing of the sort, and
can never find out. Take my word for
it. Toxic, nothing that you say to me
will ever reach Tu-Kila-kila. y
The Shadow looked at him doubt