Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1894-08-23
CHAPTER XX.
COUNCIL OF WAR.

COUNCIL OF WAR.
That same afternoon Muriel had a
visitor. M. Jules Peyron. formerly of
the College de France, no longer a
mere Polynesian god, but a French
gentleman of the Boulevards in voice
and manner, came to pay his respects,
as in duty bound, to Mademoiselle
Ellis. NJ. Peyron had performed his
toilet under trying circumstances, to
the best of his ability The remnants
OF his european clothes. much patched
and overhung with squares of native
tappa cloth, were hidden as much as
possible by wide feather cloak, very
savage in effect, but more seemly. at
any rate. than the tattered garments
in which Felix had first found him in
his own garden parterre. M. Peyron,
however, was fully aware of the de-
fccts of his costume, and profoundly
apologize. 1T is with ten thousand
regrets, mademoiseile," he said, many
times over, bowling low and simlering,
that venture to appear in lady $
salon-for after all, wherever a Iu
ropean lady goes, there her salon fol-
lows her in such Il tenue as that in
which | am now compelled to present
myself. Mais que vovlez-vous? Nous
ne sommes pas II Paris For to Nj.
Peyron, us innocent in his way as Mali
herself, the whole world divided itself
into Paris and the Provinces.
Nevertheless.l II was touching to both
the newcomers to see the Frenchman's
delight at meeting once more with
civilized beings. Figure to yourself.
mademoiselle, he said with true
French eifusion figure to yourself
the Joy and surp"ise with which |, this
morning, receive monsieur, your
friend, az my humble cottage. For the
first time after nine years on this hate
ful island, | see again Il European face;
hear again French language. My
emotion, believe me, was too profound
for words. When monsieur was gone,
retired to my hut, | sat down on the
floor, | gave myself owe" to tears, tears
Of Joy and gratitude, to think should
once more catch II glimpse OF civi iza
ton. This afternoon, ask myself can
venture to go out ana pay my re-
spccts, thus atlired, in these a9s, to Il
European lady? For u long time |
doubt, | wonder, | hesitate. In my
qua ity Of Frenchman, | would have
wished to call in civilized costume
upon civilized household. But what
would you have? Necessity knows no
law. am compelled to envelope my
self in my savage robe OF otice as II
Polynesian god a robe OF Office which,
for the rest, is not without an interest
Of its own 70 the scientific emnologist.
1t belongs to me especially rs King OF
the Birds. and in it, in effect. is repre-
scented ut least one feathe" of each
kind or color from every pat of the
tody OF every species OF bird that in
habits Boupari. thus sum up. pour
ainsi dire. in my official costume all
the bids OF the island, as Tu-kila-
kila, the very high god, sums up, in
his quaint and curious q, less, the land
ana the ca. the trees and the stones,
earth, and air, and ti.e and water"
Familiarity with danger begets at
last certain callous Indifference
Muriel was sur, rised in her own mind
to discover how easily they could chat
with Nj. Peyron on such indifferent
subjects, with that awful doom of an
approaching death hanging over them
SO shortly But the fact was, terrors
0! every kind had SO encompassed them
round since their arrival on the island
that the mere additional certainty OF a
date and mode of execution was rather
II relief to their minds than otherwise.
1t partook of the nature of a reprieve,
not Il sentence. Besides, TIL meeting
with another speaker of u European
tongue seemed to them SO fun Of
promise and hope that they almost for
got the terrors of their Threatened end
in their discussion Of pos iple sch an es
for es cape to freedom. Even Nj. Pey-
ron himself who had spent nine long
years of exile in the island, felt that
the ARRIVAL Of two new Europeans gave
him some hose OF ei(ecting at la his
own retreat from this uncomfortable po-
sition. His talk was all OF passing
steamers. If the Australaslan had
GENE near enough once to sight the
island he argued, then the ho.neward
vessel. en- route for Honolulu, must
have begun to take "A new course con-
siderahly to the eastward OF the old
navigable channel. If this were so,
their obvious plan was to keepa watch.
day and night, for another passing Aus
tralian liner, and whenever one hove
in sight, to steal away to the shore,
seize stray canoe. overt over. If pos
sible, their Shadows, or even give
them the slip, and make one hcld
stroke tor freedom on the open ocean.
Npi!0 vi tllttu CoulQ toIlCcal 1FOtl
their own minds, to be sure, the eX-
treme difficulty of carrying out this
program. In the first place. ii was Il
toss-up whether they ever sighted an
other steamer at all: for during the
weeks. they had already passed on the
island, not n sigh of one had appeared
from any quarter. Then, again, even
surprising steamer ever hove in
sight. what likelihood that they could
make out for her in an open canoe in
time to attract attention be ore she
had passed the island? Tu-kila- kisa
would never willingly let them go;
their Shadows would watch them with
unceasing care; the whole body OF ma
tives would combine together to pre-
vent their departure. If they ran away
1T all. they must run for their lives;
as soon as the islanders discovered they
were gone, manned ut once with
bloodthirsty savages, who would fol-
IA