Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1915-12-28
CHAPTER K.
Trailing a Goddess.

excepting in my cave. / had no wish
that profane eyes should look upon
the portrait or the devout worship Of
my beloved cannibals.
Now that was leaving them real
ICED that they were beloved. In my
memory doomed hundred acts Of
simple courtesy.
The portrait I took down from its
shrined position; the Damascus dag
gers put again into their places, and
the mandarln's kimono folded care
fully into package. On all these
things, as on the era for which they
stood, dropped the lid of the mates
chest.
The morning came on, brilliant and
fresh with the cleansing sweep of the
trades. Sky and sea sparkled in q
diamond clarity, and below me on the
beach patiently waited the dignitaries
of my tribe in festival regalia. Since
this was our parting, /, too, came out
decked in the finery of bird-plumage.
did not allow them to climb to the
now empty shrine, but led them down
with me to the beach, where shortly
a boat came bobbing over the water
A queer enough spectacle we must
have made, like a flock of blackbirds
patched with the orioles orange and
the cockatoo's rose. myself, burned
out of my Caucasian birthrisht, diff
fered from them only in my size.
For time the handful of white
men in the boat hesitated to risk the
chances of landing and being kai
kaied. AS they circled at distance
made my throat raw shouting reassur.
ances in English, while my wondering
blacks contemplated with deep awe
this talking of<the gods.
At last the rescuers rowed in, and
waded out waist-deep to meet them
The officer in command was great
Scotchman with a ruddy face and an
honest mouth, as stiffly sober, as
though it had never yielded to the Sc.
duction of smile. He gave me de.
tail of two Kanakas, whose brawny
arms carried down the chest and its
contents.
At last came the moment I had
dreaded. / must break the news to
these waiting children that the
priests from the stars had not come
to bring them new and permanent
wonders, but to take back to the lands
of mystery their goddess and myself.
/ wished then for e fuller knowledge
of their tongue, that I might soften
the tidings; but could not bring my
self to the mendacity of promising q
return, though they pleaded. When
1t came to parting with Ra Tuiki, I
forgot my quasi-divinity and seized
the old head hunters hand in an un-
godlike, Anglo-Saxon grip.
Their island would now be charted-
Missionaries would come to them
with teachings of new faith, but
streading on their heels would come
men of another sort; and as thought
of these l wished that we might be
able to leave the place unchronicled.
The contract-trader would soon ar
rive, supported, if need be by the au-
thority of his flags navy, bringing to
my canniballs, or some of them, long
terms of peonage under hard planta-
ton masters.
what, If may ask" suggested the
solemn-visaged Scot at the helm,
when the bow was turned outward
and the boat crew was bending to the
oars, twas all the demonstration Of
TIL niggers?"
"They were saying good-by,"I ex-
planned. 1--WE came to have very
satisfactory understanding
He pondered my answer for time
in sober silence, then dismissed the
matter with a single observation.
'"They took it cruel hard, sir"
Over the side of the Gretchen I
went to a kindly reception. I told all
of my story which wished to tell ad.
hitting that ! had posed as sort Of
demigod, but breathing no hint of the
gcdship which was over my godship.
A week of hurricane and storm had
tested the ships endurance, exhaust
ed the crew, and driven the Gretchen
into unknown waters.
"If it hadn't been for your signal
fires" the captain told me, 1--WE might
have gone to smash on the outlying
needles. Your lights probably saved
us as well as yourself"
This was no larger than the Was
trel, but when one went to his berth
at night it was with confidence that
his sleep would not be interrupted by
the sudden necessity of getting up to
die. She had carried cargo of trade
stuffs south and was returning to
Singapore by way of Brisbane, laden
with copra and pearl shell.
Her direction lay westerly, while
wished to go east, but that was sec
ondary. At the Australian port, i
could reship. Indeed, / was told our
course might shortly cross that of "a
regular line of steamers between Bris-