Virginia gazette. [volume] (Williamsburg, Va.) 1893-192?, 1898-06-25


seen a strange white man for months. 1
held out his hand, and then took the 4
first opportunity OF escaping from the I
room to join his playmates
Hes all I have left" continued
the trader. "and I'm doing my best 10
bring him up as an Englishman. But
what can I do here? He must play
with the Samoan boys, or with no one.
and cannot afford TO send him away
20 school. The little girls better off.
she's gone with a missionary 20 sgd
ney. and he takes good care OF her
She'll grow up into a white lady. /
suppose. some day and won't know
her old father"
There was long pause. and we
drank more kava and smoked in
silence. Then the old gentleman be
came reminiscent.
'She was three years old when the
Old woman died. and the boy here
well, he could Just toddle about. hold
ing on 10 his mothers skirts. There
were some who blamed me for taking
her 20 that outlandish New Britain.
where the people are real savages. and
not civilized like here. But what was
I / 20 do? Ia been trading for McAlis-
/ ter * Co.-you' We heard ofthem. sup
/ pose -when the firm broke up. and I
was left stranded on the beach I
hadn't had chance 70 save much. and
there was the wife and child TO keep.
When / got the offer 20 90 70 New
Britain and open up some new trad
ing stations, I jumped at it. without
thinking overmuch Of the risk
Il was fool, know. aud now. if
I could only take 1t all back " He
took another cup Of kava 20 hide his
emotion.
/ could think Of nothing appropriate
20 say. So / sat and waited. while the
girl. squatting on the floor, looked w
IN her masters face and thoughtfully
began 20 prepare second bowl oil
kava
At last he resumed the broken mar
rative. I'VE got on all right as long a.
We were at the head station. wher,
there were several whites. and tn,
natives had. IN way. learned som,
manners. But when 1 went away I,
distant parts OF the isle TO open VI
new stations began TO feel sorry tina
, Ia brought the mi.sus with me. Blu
she would not hear Of going back. no
she, she swore she'd stick 10 m,
through thick aad thin. and SO she Iii,
. till the end.
, But TO cut a long story short
Z We opnned up three or four station
) safely enough. We used 70 60. Jus
, ourselves. in boat with our box o
, trade and crew OF four boys from
. the Duke OF York's isle They wer
! more afraid Of being eaten than W
e We're. 50 they stuck 70 Us pretty close
1t was the cheek OF the thing tina
did 1t. and | wonder now, when
; look back. that we were not killed an,
cooked dozen times over. The ma
: tives simply could not understand
- white man coming among them Xix
{ that all alone. and they were 50 aston
r lshed that they forgot 20 attack us
They were a poor lot of savages
n and If you gave one of them a piece q
+ print he would hang it around hi
neck and walk away as proud a
4 Punch. They were always fghtin
l among themselves. and thought n
|, more of killing man than we woul
a OF shooting a pigeon. Why. I've see
4 a young fellow executed there Just fc
stealing cocoanut off chiefs ire,
and if they had dared they woul
: have killed me just as readily for th
r, sake of my trade.
v They hadn't much to buy good
d with, either, little copra and SON
" beche-demer and pearl shells. The
" wanted axes and tomahawks an
/ knives, but most of all they wante
IN tobacco pipes, conimon clay pipe
What they did with them l don
D. know, for they did not buy any Z
it bscco. Kept them as sort of idol
10 fetish. L suppose. They would sc
Is everything they had 10 get pipe, al
especially a black one, and it was b
ID cause of those cursed pipes that 10
m my wife and nearly lost my own if
a too Perhaps it might have been
in we'll. he added, despondsntly.
W. Nonsense, man." interposed.
ID cheerfully as 1 could. but how d
it happen; tell me about it.
re 1T was the fourth place was at.
lie think, a wild part. where no missile
to airy had ever dared to set his foe
l e IL