Evening star., 1924-06-08

of Takaroa, a tiny motu was inhabited
by the $50 people, and on 1t they had
built stone quay for small boats. We
made fast to it and sprang ashore.
x x r
THE elders of the Mormon mission
at Takaroa eventually took me to
the house of Nohea, small, neat cot
tage, at the end of. the avenue leading
from the mole, an avenue all shining
white with coral sand 1t reminded
me of the shell roads of my native
state. Maryland, in my childhood. 1t
was lined with the shanties and huts
of the inhabitants.
Nohea greeted me quietly He was
a dark man. six feet four inches in
height, big all over, his muscles we'll
insulated by deep fat. and with the
placid giantism of a Yeddo wrestler.
He was taciturn, reserved and mel
ancholy.
A friend and sometime partner of
Mapuhi (called the king of the Pau
motus. and who, of all his people in
hundred years had become dis
tinguished among whites), and a de-
vout a Mormon. Nohea was. next to
Mapuhi, the foremost figure in the
archipelago. He was not a trader
except that he sold his pearls. shell
and copra for money and merchan-
disc; but he had dignity. ST t"ngth and
ACKNOWLEDGMENT quite as had Mapuhi
but more than any other Takaroan.
Among Paumotuans few men showed
distinctive character. Nohea pos
sessed that, and also physical
strength and skill for the diving, for
the handling of boats, and for the
making of copra.
When there was no white mission
ary at Takaroa, he was the hero
phant of the Mormon church. He
conducted the services and advised
| the faithful, collected the tithes. and
admonished the sinners. He did not
| fail in zeal for that task. Nohea
painted hell darker than a sharks
jaws. a pit of horror, lit by black
flames which burned the non-Mor-
mons, and heaven on earth where
baked pig was free dish at all hours.
Foods and rills of fresh water many
beautiful wives, song and feasting,
were promised the Paumotuan. Gold
en- harps and streets of pearl would
hardly have brought their tithes to
the church treasury.
The very day / joined him l began
| to see things through his eyes. I was
bathing at dusk in the clear waters
: of the lagoon near our home. The
severe heat of the equatorial day had
passed, and the still salt lake was
ofra bipo to tr,n lie nd
coral al-scratched body as the spring
of the oasis to the parched traveller.
The night was riding fast after the
sunken sun, and driving the last
CLEAN of color from the sky.
AS I fioated at ease upon the quiet
surface OF the pale-green lagoon. the
sounds of the murnurous twilight
the rustling of the trees and the
! splash of the surf on the outer shore
were made discordant by peculiar
ecraping noise nearby. I turned lazily
over on my face and raised my head
from the water
On the coral in the deceptive half
light of the crepuscule was hideous.
shell-backed monster, which had
emerged from an unseen lair, and
moved slowly and lumb eringly toward
the cocoanut trees. Its motions and
appearance, in the semi bscurity
took on the quality of dream-beast
affrighting in it's amazing novelty. 1t
was like great papier-mache animal
in a pantomime.
I was beset by apprehension that it
might advance to the lagoon and ap-
| proach me in an element in which it
would be my master. i swan swiftly
to shore and called, "Nohea."
X r x n
MY companion came from near our
hut, where on the red-hot coral
stones, which had been made to glow
by a fire of cocoanut husks, he cooked
the fish he had caught that afternoon.
| He looked at me inquiringly. and 1
pointed to the alarming creature now
| disappearing in the palm grove.
| "Auee" he cried irascibly, and sprang
after the nightmare. When 1 over
took him he was standing at the foot
of lofty cocoanut tree and shaking
his fist at the object of his pursuit
which was climbing with unbelieva BILE
speed up the slippery gray trunk.
| Il teienei! 1t is the kaveu, that
devil Of the night who robs us of our
cocoanuts while we sleep. But wait,
I made a vow to destroy the next one
found thieving"'
| Nohea went a hundred yards to
where banana plant was growing in
earth brought from Tahiti. He gath
cred clay and leaves, and with pains
taking effort fashioned a wreath OF
the mixture six inches wide and sew
| eral feet in length. 1 stood in won
derment, guessing that he was max