The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-09-04
The Friends Of Uhomotu.

the LedCner orange trees, II > COOl lACEc.
Halo! What do you want?"
native boy was standing in the room
holding out a piece of paper Langley
took 1t from him. It was request 10
hand the bearer the articles mentioned
IN the name of the evil spirits. who
be these that write-Maheke. kitia, and
Minea?" he asked Grossly
"Maheke. Kitia and Minea."
20, wood-headi Am l any wiser now"
The boy stared solemnly, and then by
a sudden inspiration showed him a roll
of money tied up in the dangling end OF
his dirty waistcloth.
"Har said the trader, now do / see
Stolen money. en-? And these women have
sent thee to spend it. Now will call for
the fakafli (Judge) and have thee beaten
with twenty stripes
Ma, nay" whined the boy, I be hon
est"
Then. why come TO this door, which
is tabu-for in here do l eat and sleep.
Do 1 buy or sell in this room? Have 7
not store?"
True, o white man; but 1 was forbid
den to go there. lest be seen.
"Ha, it's stolen money, then; else why
fear 10 be seen?'
"Maheke forbade me-"
And who is Maheke?"
The friend of Kitia."
And who is Kitia?"
The friend of Minea."
40. dolt. o. half-waken hog! How do
l know these names? Who, in God s
name, then is Minea?"
She be friend TO Kitia and Maheke-
they be friends to one another"
$50, 1 see. These three, then. have sto-
len the money between them-the faka-
fill"
The boy began to blubber.
Nay, it is not so, my master. 1 do
not lie 10 thee. II be honest money. And
these three gave it me with the tuni Oct
teri for thee, and bade me tell no one.
And when I some safely to them with
those things for which they ask, l am
to have one piece of silver money for my
self-and that Maheke hath now in her
hand to give me when l return"
Send US, o. good white man, three
white handkerchiefs, three white poll
combs. bottle of musk, three pill alo
(chemises), one fathom of blue gossamer
TO shade our faces from the sun, and lit
tie tobacco and one box OF Matches
What the deuce can it be?' he thought,
as he went into the adjoining store. He
got the articles named and tied them into
a parcel. Then he looked again at the
rude, scrawling signatures:
For US, Maheke. Minea, ma Kitia."
Here, boy. take these. Say, what is
thy name?"
''Vetsi, the son of Sosensi.''
80. And who are these women that
send thee to buy? Hast thou three
wives? Who is Maheke?"
''Meheke is the friend"
The trader darted out his hand. caught
him by the shoulder and shook him.
Now, tell me where does Meheke
live?"
I'm Uhomotu. with her mother. She
it is whose lover died in the Pokula
(Guano IsIands) last year"
Good. And Minea?'
The parrot-like repetition of "She is
was again issuing from his lips when an
other shake brought the boy to his
senses.
''Minea is the thin girl with the foot
that wasteth away"
"Ha!' said the trader and he asked no
further questions; while the boy. glad to
be released, went cautiously away with
the parcel, looking fearfully about him
lest he should be seen by any Of the viii
layers.
At point called Matasuafa, where the
perpendicular face of the cliffs was high
est. the natives-men, women and chill
dren-clustered like bees. Those in front
holding with one hand the branches of
the tough scrub that grew on the sum
nit, gazed down at the black ledge of
reef that stood abruptly out from the
foot of the cliff There, directly beneath,
lay the motionless figures Of three girls.
Descent at this spot was impossible. and
= ~ ae h. fnI1.
alternately from the huddled-up forms
beneath to those of four or five men who
were running along the narrow table Of
reef a few hundred yards away.
The tide was dead low, yet, as the half
naked men sprang across the pools and
air holes that broke up the crust Of the
reef, the ocean swell broke savagely
against its face and smothered them in
misty spray, And now and again a roller
heavier than the rest would send a thin
sheet OF water kissing along the ledge
of rock TO sway TO and fro the long black
hair and ensanguined garments Of the
three friends. 1t came up clear as crys-
tall it poured back again through the
coral cutters and air holes to the sea
tinged with a bloody stain.
The men dashed on and lifted them up,
and then fought their way back through
the sweeping seas along the ledge OF
cruel, black rock to place where a path
had been cut away in a break OF the
cliffs.
For some time the trader tried 10 get
near them to see if by any chance they
yet lived. While waiting on the cliffs he
had learned the meaning of the mysteri-
Gus purchase of the morning. After meet
ing the boy in lonely sugar-cane patch,
the girls had dressed themselves in their
best, carefully oiling and combing their
long, glossy hair. Then, after making and
smoking some cigarettes and sprinkling
one another with scent, they bade him
come with them a part Of the way They
Travelled an Old, unused path Of former
days, unknown even 10 the boy Vetsi. who
now began to get frightened, and wept.
The trader pushed silently through the
people and looked. Two, Maheke and
Mnea, were dead. Their agony had been
brief. The third, the round-faced, laugh
ing-voiced Kitia, who was but budding
into womanhood. suu lived. but that il
was not tor long could easily be seen
Both legs and her back. were broken.
a woman with shaking hands and
streaming eyes bent over her and spoke.
The girls eyes opened, big, soft, black,
and tender.
IKE. where art thou. Meheke2 And
thou. my Minea? Shall I Ia! thee. on,
my friends-my friends
The woman laid her lips 70 the dying
mouth.
My child. my Kiua- It's I thy Old
mother
The bruised and bleeding fingers tN.tch-
ed feebIy. and then Aui, the bitter
tongued. knelt. and raising the girls
arms, placed the MANNED hands against
her mothers cheek. and kept them theF.