The Yale expositor., 1908-08-21
The Monarch of BObO
By WILL LISENBEE
Copyright. by shortstory Pub. Coz
By WILL LISENBEE

things, but to him 1t was all the worse
for existing things. Had he turned
his attention to those simple duties
that fall to the man before the mast,
all might have been well. But he al
lowed himself to be carried away by
the distractions Of theories. One of
these proclaimed that certain men
were appointed by Destiny to rule
their fellowmen; another, that he,
Solomon Brown, was one Of those ia
vored by Destiny. These theories con-
flicted with the convictions held by
Capt. Nelson of the Petrol, and when
Solomon Brown stirred up mutiny,
there was an encounter between law
full authority and a theory, in which
one of the mates was wounded, and
the captain lost a piece of his ear.
The theory lost.
The affair provoked Capt. Nelson to
the employment of vigorous antidote
for the mutinous spirit. Instead of
placing the leader in irons to be car
ried to port for trial, he set him
ashore on the island of Bobo-an I'M
charted piece of land lying in the
South Pacific-leaving him a supply
of provisions by which he might sus-
tain life and thereby have the oppor-
tunity to nurse the remorse which
was the price of the PRONUNCIATION Of
untenable theories.
Some months later, when the Petrol
touched at Melbourne, after a voyage
to Hong-Kong, Capt. Nelson paid his
respects to Mrs. Brown, wife of the
marooned mutineer. When he had ex-
planned to her that her husband had
not returned in the Petrol, but had
been set ashore on a far-away island
to mediate on the evils of mutiny,
he fully expected to have a food of
reproach poured on his head, but
nothing of the sort occurred. She
listened to the story with calm i'm
passivity, and, when it was finished,
remarked that she hoped that her hus-
bands enforced sojourn on the island
would cure him of his appetite for
grog, and ended by inviting the cap
tain to remain for oinner.
So it happened that when the Petrol
dropped anchor in the little bay at
Bobo, just eight months after depos-
iting Brown on its shore, the wife of
the mutineer stood on the deck with
Capt. Nelson, and watched the lower
ing of the boat which was to bring
her husband back to the ship.
She stood leaning on the rail as the
captain and dozen or so of the crew
entered the boat and sped shoreward,
and II was only after the men had
reached shore and vanished from sight
that she called the mate, and asked
to be taken ashore, that she might
meet her husband and surprise him
before he reached the ship.
Meantime, having gone ashore. the
captain and his men began to search
for the marooned mutineer. Failing
to discover any traces of him in the
vicinity of where he had been left
they proceeded inland, making their
way through clumps of dense tropical
foliage.
Emerging from a thick clump oil
palms, the little party came into ar
open valley. A cluster of palm huts
broke on their vision, and of a sudden
the whole valley was swarming with
life-ferce, black, warlike life
horde of hideous savages. AS if they
had been lying in ambush for the ad
venturers, they sprang like magic
from hollow, rock and thicket. Will
swift maneuver they cut off the re
treat of the captains men, and ad
vanced in solid lines.
In a twinkling they were made pris
oners, and ushered into a large stock
ade. In the center of the enclosure
was an immense palm structure, anC
into this the prisoners were led A.
they entered they glanced about them
and then stood stock still with amaze
ment.
At one end of the building, on
sort of raised platform, ornate will
barbaric decorations, a dignified per
sonage sat on a throne of gaudy
aspect. The homage paid to him by
the concourse of blacks proclaimed
him king but 1t required no seconC
glance for the captain and his men Il
recognize in the monarch of Bobo thu
familiar features of Solomon Brown
the ex-mutineer.
He surveyed the astonished groul
of his countrymen with scrutiny be
fitting the dignity of king, but h
gave no sign Of recognition.
. Yhe captain essayed to speak, blu
the ex-mutineer stopped him with
wave of the hand.
THE king is about to speak," h,
said land when the monarch of Bob,
opens his mouth, even the winds ar,
silent"
: He took no heed of the look of dis
gust on the captains face, but calml,
proceeded:
, I'm the king of Bobo you see a just
fication of the theories promulgate'
by your former shipmate. the unfor
tunate Solomon Brown. His conten
ton that he was appointed by Des
; tiny to rule was spurned by his asso
,, ciates. To him this proved nothing