The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1894-08-04

! "Nell, the story they tell us is this. =
/ the Frenchman replied. though |
/ have gathered il only hint at a time.
/ from very old men, who declared at
I the same moment t=at some religious
! fear Of which they have manv-pre-
vented them from telling me any
further about it. II seems that a long
time ago how many years ago nobody
knows, only that it was in the time OF
the thlrty-nlnth Tu-kila-kiia, before
the reign OF Iavitd. the son Of Sami-
strange kOrong va, cast up upon this
island by the waves Of the sea, much
a. YOU and ! have been in the present
generation, BY accident. SAYS the
story, on else. a others aver. through
the indiscrctiOn ola native woman who
fell in love with him, and who worried
the taboo out OF her husband. the
stranger became acquainted with the
secret of Tu-kiIa-kila. As the natives
themselves put it, he learned the
death Of the High Go /. and where in
the world his soul was hidden. There
upon, in some mysterious way o. other.
he became Tu-kila-kila himself, and
raled as High God for ten years or
more here on the island. Now, up to
that time. the legend goes on, none
but the men Of the island knew the
secret: they learned il as soon "a they
were initiated in the great mysteries
when occur before a boy Is gwen
spear and admitted to the rank Of com
plere manhood. But sometimes
woman was told the secret wrOngfullv
by her husband or her lover: and one
such woman, apparently. told the
strange horOng. and so enabled him to
become TukiIa-kila.
But where does the parrot come
in" Felix asked. with still profounder
excitement than ever Something,
within him seemed to tell him in
stinctiveiy ne was now within touch of
the special KEY that must sooner or
later unlock the mystery.
well, the F'renchman went on.
still stroking the parrot atfectionately
with his hand, and smoothing down the
feathers on its ruflei back, the
strange Iu-k1la-kila, no thus ruled in
the island. though he learned to speak
Polyn"slan we'll, had a language Of his
own, language Of the birds, which no
man on earth could ever talk with
him 50, to heguile his time and to
have someone who could converse with
him in his native dialect. he taught
TINS parrot to opea his own tongue.
AM spent most o. his days in talking
with ltaud fond ling It, At last. after
ne had instructed it by slow degrees
how to repeat this long sermon or
poem which / have often heard it re
cite in a sing-song voice from begin
ming to eud his time came. as they
say. and he had TO give way to another
Tu-kila-Nila: for the BouDarese have
a prOverb like our own about the king,
Tine High God is dead: may the Hig h
Col live forever" But before he rarc
up his soul to hi. successor. and wa,
eaten or buried. which ever i the
custom, he handed over his pet to the
King OF the Birds. strictly charging
all future bearers Of that divine office
to care for the parrot a they would
care for son or a daughter. And 50
the natives make much of the parrot
to the present day, saying he Is great
err than any, save a korong or god
tor he l. the soul OF dead race, sum
ming II up in himself AMI he knows
the secret OF the Death of Tu-Kila-
kiIa
But yo9 can't tell me what Ian
Cuage he speoks:' Felix asked with a
gesture. It was terrible 10
stand thus within measuring distance
Of the secret which might, perhaps,
save Muriel', life. and vet be perpct-
ualIy baked by wheel within wheel
OF more than Egyptian mystery.
wv no can say? the Frenchman an
swere ;, Struggling hi- shoulders help
less Y. 1t isn't Iolynesian; that
know well, lor | speak Bouparese now
like rative Of Boupari; and it isn't /
the only other language spoken at the F.
resent day in the south seas the |
MaIanesian Of New Caledonia for /
that learned well from the Kanakas (
Hhi'e / was serving my time as con
Wet among them. All we can say for
certain is that it may, perhaps, be
some ancient tongue. some OF them.
II is said. excel their century. Is it
not 50, Ell, my friend MethusaatI"