Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1894-10-18
y. GRaNTAG1fNs

ut6HefnOre. he SAID, my peO-
pie. hear me. AS came in ship pro-
PEELED by tire over the high waves of
the sea. so | go away in one. We
watch for such ship to pass by Bou-
parl. When it comes the Queen of the
Clouds upon whose life place great
! Taboo: let no man dare to touch her at
! his peril: if he does, I will rush upon
! him and kill him as | killed Lavita, the
son OF Sami. When it comes, the
Queen Of the Clouds. the King of the
Birds, and /, we will go away back in
1t to the land whence we came and be
quit OF Boupari. But we will not
Leave 1t tlreleSs or goddess. When [
return back home again in my own far
land, | will send out messengers, very
good men, who will tell you of God
more powerful by much than any YOU
ever knew, aud very righteous They
will teach you great things YOU never
dreamed of. Therefore. [ ask YOU now
| to dispense to your own homes. while
the King of Birds and | bury the body
OF Lavita, the son of Sami.''
All this time Muriel had been seated
on the ground, listening with profound
interest. but scarcely understanding a
word. though here and there, after
her six months stay on the island. a
single phrase was dimly Ineligible to
her. But now, at this critical moment
she rose. and, standing upright by
| Felix S side in her spotless English
| purity among those assembled savages
she pointed just once with her uplifted
finger to the calm vault of heaven and
| then across the moonlit horizon of the
sea, and last of all to the clustering
| huts and villages of Boupari. Tell
| them" she said to Felix. with blanched
/ lips, but without one sign of tremor in
| her fearless voice, II will pray for
! them to Heaven, when | go across the
sea, will think of the children that
{ loved to pat and play with and will
send out messengers from our home
| beyond the waves, to make them wiser
and happier and BETTER
Felix translated her simple message
to them in it's pure womanly goodness.
Even the natives were touched. They
whispered and hesitated. Then after
a time of much murmured debate, the
| King of Fire stood forward as a medi-
| tator. '"rhere is an oracle, O Korong,'
he said. mot to prejudice the matter,
which decides these things-a great
conch-shell at a sacred grove in the
nelghboring island of Aloa Mauna. 1t
is the hottest oracle of our holy relig
have taken counsel together, and have
| forth a canoe and send men with blood
on the y faces to inquire at Aloa
Mauna of the very great oracle. Till
then, you are neither Tu-Klla-Kila, nor
not Tukilakila. 1t behooves us to
| be very careful how we deal with
gods. Our people will stand round
| your precinct in a row, and guard you
with their spears. You shall not cross
| the taboo line to them. nor they to
you; all shall be neutral. Food shall
be LAID by the line, as always, morn,
noon. and night: and your Shadows
shall take it in: but YOU shall not come
out. Neither shall you bury the body
of Lavita, the son of Sami. Till the
canoe comes back it shall lie in the
ssun and rot there"
He clapped his hands twice.
IN moment q tom-tom began to beat
from behind. and the reople all
crowded without the circle. The
King of Fire came forward ostentati-
ously and made taboo. IF any man
cross this line" be said in a dronlne
sino-song, It'll the canoe return from
the great oracle OF our faith on Aloa
Mauna, |, Fire, will scorch him into
ctuueI anu tSutS. Ii teliy "oilAii VI e'h'
oress. I will pitch her with palm oil,
and light her up for lamp on a moon
less night to Tighten this temple.
The King of Water distributed
shark 's-tooth spears. At once a great
serried wall hemmed in the Europeans
all round, and they sat down to wait
three whites together, for the upshot
of the mission to Aloa Mauna.
And the dawn now cleared red on
the Eastern horizon.