The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1909-02-05
TONGAN KING
HUSTLES FREIGHT

Working as a stevedore on the Ho-
noluu wat is a man who might |
today have been king upon his
throne, with real crown to wear, if
he had not taken it into his head to
go adventuring in his youth. He
might be king yet if he went back to
his island birthplace and asserted his
claim. He might also be a cold, cold
corpse if he did, and this is the very
reason why he prefers to help shift
cargo to running chances of making
good in his assertions to royalty.
Bob. Samoa, known to his intimate
friends as Bob Tonga, is the one in
whose veins riots the blood of kings
and the particular royal fluid spilled
by him in the various waterfront
scraps is that of the House Of Tonga.
BY divine right and that of primogehi-
ture, Bob is the sovereign of the Ton
gans today and His Majesty King
George II, who sits upon the throne,
is base usurper. Bob is satisfied to
let him usurp, however, so long as he
can rustic sugar bags and get his three
squares day.
In days gone by, Bob's father was
| the monarch Of all he surveyed from
one end of the Tongan group to the
other. He had his own ideas about
| how the heir to the throne should be
brought up and these ideas and those
of the heir apparent failed to gibe.
Bob was that heir and the way the
royal father used to descend upon the
royal son and whale the royal stufling
| out of him got to be more than Robert
thought he could put up with, even
with crown at the end of his lane
of flial martyrdom 1t was all right
to be looked up to as the future ruler
and guider of his people, but another
thing to nurse sore spots in excess of
the average.
There appeared to be no royal road
to escape, but there was always the
same way for the Prince Royal to
make a get away as there was for any
other truant in the Friendlies. Thai
was bv slowing away aboard one Of
the trading schooners that traded il
and around the islands. Bob slowed
, away, was taken to Australia, shipped
. for the north and landed ON the beacl
at Honolulu. Here he found kindred
people, a friendly people who talked
the same language he did, and lane
that resembled the land he had FLED
from and for which his simple nature
was homesick. He couldn't go hom'
because he had an idea of what wa
yuiting tor him there, SO he stayet
in the place that was likest to home t.
him That was Honolulu.
That is why scion of royalty i
a stevedore today on the front. If h
couldn't be king for reasons he appre
ciates, he could at least be goo
y stevedore, and he is that. Mayor Ferr
y who had him in one of his gangs, ties
. tfes to his worth in a ships hold.
As time passed, the royal father wa
= gathered to the great majority. Their
was no son upon whom the mantle o
= sovereignty could fall, unless it fel
= away up to Honolulu and no one kne'
that it had any disposition to fall thi
9 way. Bob had long since been give
Y up for dead. To cousin, the know
. next of kin, the crown was rendered
= This is King George II, now firml
8 seated on the throne. Bob has a
idea the seat is so firm that if he dare
). approach, the welcome he would &c
y would be "Off with his head"
:, seems hardly worth while going so fla
to hear such stereotyped phrase
: therefore His Majesty Bob stays j
"a Honolulu and works on steamer day
l