Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1894-05-31
BY GRANT: At1EN9

| upon WO10a0lOOQ, QlQ nOU Venture W
cross the white line of coral sand tina,
surrounded the huts; they laid down
their presents. with many salaams, on
the ground outside, and then waited
with half-startled, half-reverent air
for one or other of the two Shadows to
come out and fetch them. AS soon as
the baskets were carried we'll within
the marked line, the young girls ex-
calling aloud, 'Korong. Korong"'-
| that mysterious Polynesian word OF
whose import Felix was ignorant-they
retired once more by tortuous paths
through the surrounding jungle.
"Why do they bring us presents?'
| Felix asked at last OF his Shadow,
performed some three or four times.
"Are they always going to keep us in
such plenty?"
The Shadow looked back at him
with all air of considerable surprise.
"They bring presents of course" he
! said, in his own tongue, "because they
| arc badly in want OF rain. We have
had much drought of late in Boupari;
we need water from Heaven. The ba-
mana bushes wither; the flowers on
the bread-fruit tree do not swell to
bread-fruit the yams are thirsty.
Therefore the fathers send their
daughters with presents, maidens of
the villages. all manageable girls, to
ASK for rainfall. But they will always
provide for you, and also for the Queen,
however you behave; for you are both
Korong. Tu Kila-Kila has said SO, and
Heaven has accepted vou."
"What do mean by Korong?" Felix
| asked, with some trepidatiOn.
The Shadow merely looked back at
him with sort of blank surprise that
any body should be ignorant Of so sim
pie conception. "Why, Korong is
Korong," he answered, aghast. "You
are Korong Yourself. The Queen of
the Clouds is Karong, too. You are
both Korong; that is why they all
treat you with such respect and rever-
ence.'
And that was as much as Felix could
elicit by his subtlest questions from his
taciturn Shadow.
In fact it was clear that in the open,
at least, the Shadow was averse to be-
ing observed in familiar conversation
with Felix. During the heat of the
day, however, when they sat alone
within the hut, he was much more
communicative. Then he launched
forth pretty freely into talk about the
island and its life, which no doubt
would have largely enlightened Felix,
had it not been for two draw backs to
their means of inter-communication
Inthe first place, the Boupari dialect,
though agreeing in all essentials with
the Polynesian Of Fiji, nevertheless
contained great many words and col
loluial expressions unknown to the
tijians; this being particularly the
case, as Felix soon remarked. in the
whole vocabulary of religious rites and
ceremonies. And in the second place,
the Shadow was so rigidly bound by
his own narrow and insular set Of ideas
that he couldn't understand the diff
Guilty Felix felt in throwing himself
into them. Over and over again. when
Felix asked him tC explain some word
or custom. he would repeat, with naive
impatience, "Why, korong, is Ko-
rong," or ''Tula is just lula; even d
child must surely know what Tula is:
much more yourself, who are indeed
korong. and who have come from the
sun to bring fresh fire to u.s.
In the adjoining hut, Mnriel, who
was now beginning in some small ds-
/
fear for the reality of the taboo had
Mali, her own particular Shadow. UNI
ravel,ing the mystery of the girls
knowledge of English.
Mali, indeed, like the other Shadow,
showed every disposition to indulge in
abundant conv ersation, as soon as she
found herself we'll within the hut,
alone with her mistress, and secluded
from the prying eyes Of all the other
islanders.
Don't you be afraid, Missy" she
said, with genuine kindiness in her
tone, as soon as, the gifts of yam and
bread-fruit had all BEEN duly housed and
garnered. mo harm come to YOU.
You Korong YOU know You very
great Taboo. TutKllarKila send King
of Fire and King of Water to make
taboo over you,. So nobody hurt you
Muriel burst UNTO, tears at the sound
of her own language from those dusky
lips, and exclaimed through her sobs,
clinging to the girls hand Cor comfcnt
as she spoke, '"Why, how did you ever
come to speak English?-teH me-"
Mali looked up at her with a halEf
astonished air: "Oh- I servant in
Queensland, of course, missy" she an
swered, with great cemposure. LA
! Dor vessel corGa to my island, far
away, four, five years ago, steal boy,
steal woman. My papa just kill my
mamma. because he angry with her;
so no want daughters. So my papa sell
me and my sister for plenty rum,
plenty tobacco. to gentlemen i'll labor
vessel. Gentlemen in labor vessel
take JAM anG me away, away tc
| Queensland. Big sea; long voyage
We stop there:three yam-three yeans
do service: then great island too fal
away; gentleman on ship not find i
out: so he land us in little boat on Bo,l
pari. Boupari people make temple
Slave of u.s. And that was all; to hel
quite a commonplace, everyday his
tory.
81 see,'' Muriel cried. ''Then YOU'VE
been for three years in Australia. Ant