The herald., 1896-06-21

that hung about him, he brought him to his
house and placed a rude chair for him to
sit upon, while the women of his family
placed food before him; the captain mo-
toned to the chief to sit near him and
talk.
Like white people?" Taranoa said, in
answer to a remark of Captain Warren's
"Oh, yes, sir; every ship that comes here
the captain say native here got skin like
the white man.
where did you learn to speak Eng
lish?" asked the American presently.
II have been to sea, sir-sailor man on
board whaleship-English whaleship be-
long to Sydney
For nearly an hour the captain remained
with his native host and then expressing a
wish to have look about the island, Ia
ranoa at once offered to be his guide.
They set out few minutes later and Tara.
noa, leading the way, took the white man
to every point that he thought would in
trest him. AS they were returning to the
village along the path that led through the
cocoanut grove on the southern side of the
island, the chief pointed out to the Amer
ican a cluster of native houses, and said
that was the place where the white mer
once lived.
white men! Did any white men live
here, and in those houses?"
Eyes. A long time ago; but they not live
in those houses there. Houses belong to
white men fall down long time ago.
After they had returned to the chiefs
house Captain Warren questioned Taranoa
about these white men. At first the chief
hesitated, but then told him this story
"a long time ago, in his fathers time
before he Taranoa) was born, a ship had
come in close to the land. The wind had
died away and Kilagia, his father, and
four other men had launched their canoe to
go out to her, when the breeze sprang up
just as darkness had fallen, and they saw
the ship turn round and sail away. So XII.
lagia and those with him turned back, but
scarce had they dragged their canoe up on
the beach when they heard the sound OF
oars, and running back they saw boat close
in. ALI the people ran out Of their houses,
some with torches in their hands, and they
saw that there were six men in the boat
and one woman. The white men were all
very much frightened and feared to step
out of the boat at first, but Uranu, Kila-
gias oldest wife, ran out into the water
and taking the white woman's hand in hers
placed it on her bosom as a sign of friend
ship and goodwill So tnen they all came
out, and the people took them to Kilagia's
house and gave them food and drink. The
chief of the white men was named Paka
the woman, who was young, was his daugh-
ter. Paka was an old man; his head was
white; and all that night his daughter held
his hand in hers and shook and trembled
IL one Of the island men looked at her.
But they meant them no harm, for Kilagia
told the people that these white men must
not be hurt, as the gods had sent them at
the time of the new moon, which is lucky
time. By and by. as the days went by,
Kilagia and the old white man Paka swore
a friendship and became as brothers, and
Kilagia built him house for himself and
daughter and gave him slaves to work for
him. The other white men were not good
men, they were bad men. But yet Kila-
gia gave each one a wife from among the
village girls and all went we'll for time
But one day, when the white woman
whom her father called Neli-was alone
one of the white men came to her and said
she must be his wife. He was a big man
named Kelli, and much feared by the
OLlSIS, DuL tut WuIlc WOmdH SpOh0 SCOTu-
fully to him and said he had q native wife
already. Then she ran away and he ran
after her. While he pursued her she cried
loudly for her father, who ran out from
his house to meet her. She sprang into
his arms, but he put her aside, and draw
ing his knife, he sprang at the big man ant
thrust it first into his stomach and ther
into his throat. The other four men ther
tried to kill Paka with their knives, bu
Kilagia and his men came to his help, ant
they overpowered the four white men, an(
then binding their arms and legs will
kafa (cinnet), they took them to the edgt
of the reef and cast them to the shark:
which quickly devoured them. All these
five men, so Paka told Kilagia, were pris
oners who had run away from prison il
Sydney. All the wives of these five mer
bore children-born after the father
were given to the sharks. When a yea
had gone Paka took wife, the daughte
of Uranu, Kilagia's chief wife. She bor
him a child, and the white woman nurset
1t and loved it as much as did its mother
Nearly every day the old man and hi
daughter would walk round the island an,
look out over the sea to see if any shil
was coming. But after time the oil,
man ceased to look; he began to love tn
son born to him by tho daughter Of uTranr