The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-11-29
THU BOAT STEDRER.

or 1OU miles you Will algnG the EIllco
group-low lying, palm clad coral atolls,
fringed on the lee with shimmering sandy
beaches. On the weather side exposed to
the long sweep of the ocean rollers, there
are but short, black looking reefs, backed
by irregular piles Of loose fat, sea worn
coral, thrown up and accommodating till its
surface is brushed by the pendent leaves of
the cocoanuts, only to be washed and
swirled back seward when the wind
comeo from the westward and sends a
fierce, sweeping current along the white
beaches and black coral rocks alike.
Twenty three years ago these islands
were almost unknown to any ono save a
few wandering traders and the ubiquitous
New Bedford whaler. But now, long ere
you can see from the ships deck the snowy
tumble of the surf on the reef, huge
white mass, grim, square and ugly, will
meet your eye-whitewashed walls of a
distressful ghastliness accumulated by
doors and windows of the deadliest black.
This cheerful excresoence on the face of
suffering nature is native church.
The people have mostly assimilated
themselves, in their manners and mode of
life generally, to the new order of things
represented by the fearful looking struc-
ture aforementioned is to say, even
as the Tongan and Fijian, they have de-
generated from fierce, hardy, warlike
race into white shirted, black coated
saints. whose ideal of lovely existence is
to have public prayer twice dals on week
days and all day on Sunday To them it is
white trader for a sick fowl which, when
hon x-i1l ho 1oiy cd hx,a ,ofb
who will have the white man fined So for
buying stolen property. Had the white
man paid 81, he had done wisely; that
coin sometimes goes far in the Tokelaus
For instance, the truly unctuous native
Christian may ask dollar for two fowls,
but he will also lease out his wife for a
similar amount.
Time was, in the Ellices, when the I'M
due complaisance of married woman
meant sudden and inartistic compression
of the jugular OF a swift blow from the
heavy ebony wood club, of the wronged
man. Nowadays, since the SNUG faced
native teacher hath shown them the right
way, such domestic troubles are condoned
by $1-that is, if it be genuine Ameri-
can dollar-or two British florins, for out
ragged honor would not accept the cast iron
ASOAA Aeeh ihoAlOJ VI O0O pOOA ol1fOI VI SH1IO
and Peru. And for 81 the native "Chris-
tian" can all but pay for a nicely bound
Bible, printed in the Samoan tongue and
thus no doubt out of evil would come
good, for be could by means of his newly
acquired purchase picture to his dusky
mate the terrors that await those who look
upon strange men and tupe IA apupula
bright and shining money!.
,rt r oy,f %ct oJ1 oh
needy, the boat steerer he was called, al
though 90 years had passed and gone since
that day at Wallis island when he bright
eyed, bronze faced lad, with the fighting
blood of the old Puritan Endicotts run
ming like fire through his veins, despite
his New England bringing up, ran his
knife into shipmate's heart and fed for
ever from all white associations. Over a
woman 1t was, and only copper colored
one at that; but then she was young and
beautiful, with dreamy, glistening eyes
and black, wavy hair, ornamented with a
wreath of orange flowers and coil upon
coil of bright hued sea-sea berries strung
together, hanging from her neck and rest
ing upon her dainty BOSOM
Standing at the doorway of his house,
looking over the placid waters at the ris-
ing sun, Kennedy folds his brawny arms
across his bare, sun tanned chest and NUT.
tiers to himself in his almost forgotten
mother tongue: Twenty years, 20 years
ago! Who would know me there now?
Even If placarded my name on my back,
and what did, faint likely I'd have to
face grand jury for running knife into
mongrel Portugee, way out in the south
seas, score Of years ago. Poor little Ia
lamalu! I paid big price for hero
years of wandering from Wallis island to
the Bonins, and wherever l go that in.
fernal story follows me up. Well, I'll risk
IL anyhow, and the first chance that comes
along I'll cut Kanaka life and drinking
ships rum and go see old dad and mum
TO home. Here, Tikena, you Tokelau
devil, bring me my today"
A native, clad in his grass It'll takes
from wooden peg in the house wall two
shells Of toddy, and the white wanderer
takes one and drinks. He is about to re-
turn the other to the man, when two girls
come up from the beach with their arms
around each others waists, Tahiti fashion,
and one calls out with laugh to 'tleave
some in the she'll" This is Laumanu,
and II there is one thing in the world that
Jake Kennedy cares for above himself il
is this tall girl with the soft eyes and 1.-the
figure. And he dreams of her pretty often,
and curses fuently to think that she is be-
yond his reach and is never likely to fill
the place of Talamalu and her many sue
cessors. For Laumanu is tabu to a Nuitao
chief-that is, she has been betrothed, but
the NuItao man is 60 miles away, at his
own island, and no one knows when he
will claim his avaga. Then the girl gives
him back the empty toddy shell, and, slyly
pinching his hand, sails away with her
mate, whereupon the susceptible Kennedy
furious with long disappointment, flings
himself down on his bed of mats. curses
his luck and his unsuspecting rival at
Nuitao, and finally decides not to spring a
surprise Oh dad and mum" by going
''huIn" for considerable number of years
to come.
Mr.. Jake Kennedy at this time was
again widower-in the widest sense of
the word. The last native girl who had
occupied the proud position of tie avaga te
papalagi 1.-THE white mans wife, was ma
tive of the island of Maraki-a dark
skinned, passionately jealous creature,
euho ta,7 folIorvad bic fort1,uac fnr +bra,