Evening star., 1922-10-01

tives-he had expected great things
of the natives-were remarkably like
underdonc Pullman porters wrapped
in bandanra handkerchiefs. They
were not exciting. they exhibited nc
! inclination to eat Mr.. Pottle or one
another: they coveted his pink shirt
and begged for a drink from his bot.
tie of sweet lilac tonic.
He mentioned his disappointment
at these evidences OF civilization tc
Tiki Thu. the astute native who KEEP,
the general store.
Mr. fot;le's model Of conversation
was his own invention. From The
books he had read he improvised q
language. |, was simple. He gave
English words a barbaric sound
| usually by suffixing "um' or zee
! shouted them at the top of his voice
into the ear Of the person with whom
he was conversing and repeated then
in varaious permutations. He ad-
dressed Tiki Thu with brisk end con.
fdent familiarity.
"Helloee. Tiki Thu. We wantum see
can-bails. Can-balls me wantum see
Me see can-balls wantum."
The venerable native. who spoke
seventeen island dialects and tongues
and dabbled in English. Spanish and
French. appeared to apprehend his
meaning: indeed. one might aimos,
| have thought he had heard this aues.
70 ha nrnn1nf1v
. NO more can-balls here. All Bap-
lists"
Where are can-balls? Can-balls
where arc" Where csn-balls are::'
; demanded Mr.. Pottle.
Tiki Thu closed bis eyes and let blue
smoke filter through his nostrils
Finally he said: ,
isle of O-pip-ee."
isle Of o-pip-ee?" Mr. Pottle grew
excited. Where is? Is where
Two hundred miles SOUTH" an.
swered Tiki Thu.
Mr. Pottle's eyes sparkled. He was
on the trail
How go there? Go there how
There go how?' he asked.
Tiki Thu considered. Then he said
Il take. Nice liz schooner"
How much?" asked Mr.. Pottle
Much how?'
Tiki Thu considered again.
"Ninety-three dolls" he said.
"Goodum" cried Mr.. Pottle, and
counted the proceeds of 1856 hair cuts
into the hand of Tiki Thu.
You take me tomollow? Tomollo"
you take me? Me you take tomollow
Tomollow? Tomollow? Tomollow !?
asked Mr.. Pottle.
YES" promised Tiki Thu; "tomol'
low"
Mr.. Pottle stayed up all night pack
ing. From time to time he referred
to much-thumbed copies of robin.
son Crusoe" and Green Isles, Brown
Man-Eaters and a White Man"
Tiki THUS nice 'li'r schooner de-
posted Mr. Pottle and his impedi.
menta on the small, remote Isle Of
O-pip-ee. Tiki Thu agreed to return
for him in Il month.
D"This is something like it," ex'
claimed Mr.. Pottle as he unpacked his
cdu1SIs, slls 0RulCiSs "s1SoASf At-
canned soup, his heating outfit and
his bathing suit Only the wild par.
rakeets heard him. Save for thetl
calls, an ominous silence hung over
the thick foliage of ospip-ee. There
was not the ghost of sign Of human
habitation.
Mr.. Pottle, vaguely apprehensive o.
sharks. pitched his pup tent far up OF
the beach. Tomorrow would be time
enough to look for cannibais.
He lay smoking and thinking. HI
was happy. The realization Of life's
ambition lay, 10 to speak, just around
the corner. Tomorrow he could turn
that corner-if he wished.
!! He squirmed as something small
nibbled at his hipbone, and he won
dered why writer's Of books on the
South Seas make such scant mention
of the insects. Surely they mus
have noticed the little creatures
which had, he discovered, way oi
making their presence felt.
He wondered, too, now that HI
came to think of it, IL he hadn't beer
little rash in coming alone to q
cannibal-infested Z Isle with NJ
weapons Of, defense but q shotgun
picked up at bargain at ths las,
minute, and his case Of razors. True
In all the books by explorers he had
read the explorer never once hat
actually been eaten; he always lived
to write the book. But what about
the explorers who had not writer
books? What had happened to them;
He dipped centipede OF his ankle
and wondered IL he hadn't been just
. little too impulsivs to sell his profit
able barber shop to come many thou
sand miles over strange waters Il
maroon himself on the lonely Isle o.
.o.pip.ee. At yait-hua he had heard
that capnibals do not fancy white
men for culinary purposes. He gavs
q little start as he looked down at hi!
own bare legs and saw that the tropis
sun had already tinted them q coffee
hue. s.
Mr.. Pottle did not sleep Well tina