The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-07-13

audience u Inc 1VISo was io1i6s &<c
Tonga was old. yes; and tired These
Americans know so much which the
Tonga cannot know. and This particular
American was so plain man and SO
good a man, and, yes, the Tonga would
do i: If the people said so.
The people had seen the Americans eat
ing their picked fish ard their plansains
and drinking Of their orange wine he
was a good stranger who would rather
live in Tonga hut than in his white
wings lying idle behind the reef. The
people were willing. and one good day,
with much ceremony. the dancing. the
reed blowing, the tomtom beating, and
the shouting, the strong American De-
came a part OF me Tonga government
In Europe he would have been called .
premier. Down there he was just the
American, and the name became synony-
nous with the law of the land.
Had there been society papers on Kara
tonga there would have been just q whis-
per that the Tonga had not been innu-
enced entirelyby the stranger. His own
household had been potent, for IN the
line of the Tonga was daugng;er VINO
saw the American and smiled at him
and sang TO him AMI danced for him.
She hung to his English words and faith
omed some of them. She iisped her
own soft tongue and ne listened and
learned; SO it came that the American
had something 20 say TO the Tonga. me
daughter sad it for him. II the Tonga
or the people saw they said naught.
The first thing the American did was
TO create a flag. Out Of the ship stores
il was made, and after great celebra-
ton the flag flew over the schooner,
still idle in the harbor. and II few over
the hut of the Tonga, and it was lifted
over the house of the Stranger. From
that time Tonga was a nation of the
world, and The Stranger was its'guiding
genius. The schooner was kept n good
order The small crew made merry
ashore with the natives and were con-
tent.
In less than a year the rumors went
over the island and the canoes scudded
across the bays TO the neighgbors over
there, and there was the royal ceremony
in the Tonga house. The American was
was no more The Stranger. The cere-
monial made of him Tonga. He had
welded the successor to the throne
Then the old Tongag, tired with his
years and feeble under the domination
of tbs white man, gathered the best OF
the islanders about him and talked 10
them. He would lie down and rest and
wait for the last canoe trip into the Be-
yond. He was old. The new Tongag,
the American, was great man and a
rich one, and a true Tonga. He would
take care Of the people and the new flag.
The people said: "Al, al. all which is
their assent. and the old Tonga laid him
down TO. pig feasts and orange wines
and FISH, and the new Tonga, the white
one, put on the grass ''pario" and the
head dress of feathers and pearl shells
and went to live n the big hut and tend
his people.
Not so far away were the Herveys and
the Cooks. another good-siZed group
more in the line of sailing travel The
Cooks are rich In shell and copra. Ton
ga, the new, sent mis- schooner TO the
Cooks with the flag up high TO tell them
OF the change. The schooner intercept
ed a passing vessel going for trade in
to Raratonga she brought a great cargo
of cloth, f1sh hooks, seins, canned stuff
and all that. Then a big hut, the larg-
est in the Rar1tonga, was built on the
beach and the goods were stored. And
after that the canoes travelled over the
group, giving goods and taking shells
and copra.
The new Tonga was great man. The
country rejoiced al him. He sent the
schooner across the seas to the Cooks,
further away to the Paumutos, evenover
10 the Societies, and there, in the direct
line Of communication with America. the
firm OF Tonga & Co. Ghe company" be-
ing the Kingdom of Raratonga( &C.
tuaIly went into competition with the
trading houses of San Francisco, and
the world heard again of Banks.
The Wells-Fargo defaulter was the
Tonga Of the Herveys and the ruler OF
the trade Of the three great island groups,
opulent in the matter Of pearls. pearl
shells and copra beyond any dream of
his American life. He was the King by
Of the old Tonga and the
assen. OF the people. and he was King
in the line of succession because hus-
band after the native manner. TO Taati,
the maiden OF the Tonga Inc.
The news Travelled 10 San Francisco
by the first sailing vessel, and the old
company smiled and rubbed their cor
poration hands. They sent their shrewd-
est men 10 the Herveys in a chartered
vessel. Banks met them in the regalia
Of mis- office and invited them ashore.
Five thousand natives crowded the VIII
lage. The audience between the King
and the detectives was short and 10 the
point. With his people abou. him Banks
listened careless,y 20 the reading OF the
papers which the detectives brought. and
then he answered them Just as care
!essly.
over this roof is the flag Of this coun- |
try. 1t is my flag and my country. We |
do not know the United States; We have |
relations with nobody and nothing on |
Earth. You may :ell the Wells-Fargo |
company 10 go TO -
The natives stood about and said moth |
ng. The detectives saw The situation.
saw the unassaila5le position OF the Ton |
ga. Banks. and went back TO their ship.
As the ship slowly sailed away the de- |
.ectives. down behind the horizon, saw
back there al the tip OF mighty cocoa
nu, tree a small flag. the emblem OF an |
organized nation OF 700 people: he |
house flag % great trading institution |
Ind private pennant Of Banks.
More than once the corporation tried /
me United States court. Even the Con- |
yreSS OF the country Tas bassi0sa /
Banks, the absconder, was amenaole |
lndcr a hundred laws. but Banks, the |
Tonga King o, tae Herveys. was an