tastesofkirsch,andyetneitherisitkirsch。Theking,atleast,hasgrownusedtothisamazingbrand,andratherprideshimselfuponthetaste;andanysubstitutionisadoubleoffence,beingatoncetocheathimandtocastadoubtuponhispalate。A
similarweaknessistobeobservedinallconnoisseurs。NowthelastcasesoldbytheEQUATORwasfoundtocontainadifferentandIwouldfondlyfancyasuperiordistillation;andtheconversationopenedveryblackforCaptainReid。ButTembinok’isamoderateman。Hewasremindedandadmittedthatallmenwereliabletoerror,evenhimself;acceptedtheprinciplethatafaulthandsomelyacknowledgedshouldbecondoned;andwoundthematterupwiththisproposal:’TuppotiImi’take,you’peakeeme。Tuppotiyoumi’take,I’peakeeyou。Mo’betta。’
Afterdinnerandsupperinthecabin,aglassortwoof’Hennetti’-
thegenuinearticlethistime,withthekirschbouquet,-andfivehours’loungingonthetrade-roomcounter,royaltyembarkedforhome。Threetacksgroundedtheboatbeforethepalace;thewiveswerecarriedashoreonthebacksofvassals;Tembinok’
steppedonarailedplatformlikeasteamer’sgangway,andwasborneshoulderhighthroughtheshallows,upthebeach,andbyaninclinedplane,pavedwithpebbles,totheglaringterracewherehedwells。
CHAPTERII-THEKINGOFAPEMAMA:FOUNDATIONOFEQUATORTOWN
OURfirstsightofTembinok’wasamatterofconcern,almostalarm,tomywholeparty。Wehadafavourtoseek;wemustapproachinthepropercourtlyattitudeofasuitor;andmusteitherpleasehimorfailinthemainpurposeofourvoyage。ItwasourwishtolandandliveinApemama,andseemorenearathandtheoddcharacterofthemanandtheoddorratherancientconditionofhisisland。
InallotherislesoftheSouthSeasawhitemanmaylandwithhischest,andsetuphouseforalifetime,ifhechoose,andifhehavethemoneyorthetrade;nohindranceisconceivable。ButApemamaisacloseisland,lyingthereintheseawithcloseddoors;thekinghimself,likeavigilantofficer,readyatthewickettoscrutiniseandrejectintrenchingvisitors。Hencetheattractionofourenterprise;notmerelybecauseitwasalittledifficult,butbecausethissocialquarantine,acuriosityinitself,hasbeenthepreservativeofothers。
Tembinok’,likemosttyrants,isaconservative;likemanyconservatives,heeagerlywelcomesnewideas,and,exceptinthefieldofpolitics,leanstopracticalreform。Whenthemissionariescame,professingaknowledgeofthetruth,hereadilyreceivedthem;attendedtheirworship,acquiredtheaccomplishmentofpublicprayer,andmadehimselfastudentattheirfeet。Itisthus-itisbythecultivationofsimilarpassingchances-thathehaslearnedtoread,towrite,tocipher,andtospeakhisqueer,personalEnglish,sodifferentfromordinary’BeachdeMar,’
somuchmoreobscure,expressive,andcondensed。Hiseducationattendedto,hefoundtimetobecomecriticalofthenewinmates。
LikeNakaeiaofMakin,heisanadmirerofsilenceintheisland;
broodsoveritlikeagreatear;hasspieswhoreportdaily;andhadratherhissubjectssangthantalked。Theservice,andinparticularthesermon,werethussuretobecomeoffences:’Here,inmyisland,I’peak,’heonceobservedtome。’Mychiepsno’peak-dowhatItalk。’Helookedatthemissionary,andwhatdidhesee?’SeeKanaka’peakinabigoutch!’hecried,withastrongringofsarcasm。Yetheenduredthesubversivespectacle,andmightevenhavecontinuedtoendureit,hadnotafreshpointarisen。Helookedagain,toemployhisownfigure;andtheKanakawasnolongerspeaking,hewasdoingworse-hewasbuildingacopra-house。Thekingwastouchedinhischiefinterests;revenueandprerogativewerethreatened。Heconsideredbesidesandsomethinkwithhimthattradeisincompatiblewiththemissionaryclaims。’Tuppotimitonarythink”goodman”:verygood。Tuppotihethink”cobra”:nogood。Isendhimawayship。’SuchwashisabrupthistoryoftheevangelistinApemama。
Similardeportationsarecommon:’Isendhimawayship’istheepitaphofnotafew,hismajestypayingtheexile’sfaretothenextplaceofcall。Forinstance,beingpassionatelyfondofEuropeanfood,hehasseveraltimesaddedtohishouseholdawhitecook,andoneafteranotherthesehavebeendeported。They,ontheirside,sweartheywerenotpaidtheirwages;he,onhis,thattheyrobbedandswindledhimbeyondendurance:bothperhapsjustly。Amoreimportantcasewasthatofanagent,despatchedasIheardthestorybyafirmofmerchantstowormhiswayintotheking’sgoodgraces,become,ifpossible,premier,andhandlethecopraintheinterestofhisemployers。Heobtainedauthoritytoland,practisedhisfascinations,waspatientlylistenedtobyTembinok’,supposedhimselfonthehighwaytosuccess;andbehold!
whenthenextshiptouchedatApemama,thewould-bepremierwasflungintoaboat-hadonboard-hisfarepaid,andsogood-bye。
Butitisneedlesstomultiplyexamples;theproofofthepuddingisintheeating。WhenwecametoApemama,ofsomanywhitemenwhohavescrambledforaplaceinthatrichmarket,oneremained-
asilent,sober,solitary,niggardlyrecluse,ofwhomthekingremarks,’Ithinkhegood;heno’peak。’
Iwaswarnedattheoutsetwemightverywellfailinourdesign:
yetneverdreamedofwhatprovedtobethefact,thatweshouldbeleftfour-and-twentyhoursinsuspenseandcomewithinanaceofultimaterejection。CaptainReidhadprimedhimself;nosoonerwasthekingonboard,andtheHennettiquestionamicablysettled,thanheproceededtoexpressmyrequestandgiveanabstractofmyclaimsandvirtues。ThegammonaboutQueenVictoria’ssonmightdoforButaritari;itwasoutofthequestionhere;andInowfiguredas’oneoftheOldMenofEngland,’apersonofdeepknowledge,comeexpresslytovisitTembinok’sdominion,andeagertoreportuponittothenolesseagerQueenVictoria。Thekingmadenoshadowofananswer,andpresentlybeganuponadifferentsubject。
Wemighthavethoughtthathehadnotheard,ornotunderstood;
onlythatwefoundourselvesthesubjectofaconstantstudy。Aswesatatmeals,hetookusinseriesandfixeduponeach,fornearaminuteatatime,thesamehardandthoughtfulstare。Ashethuslookedheseemedtoforgethimself,thesubjectandthecompany,andtobecomeabsorbedintheprocessofhisthought;thelookwaswhollyimpersonal;Ihaveseenthesameintheeyesofportrait-
painters。Thecountsuponwhichwhiteshavebeendeportedaremainlyfour:cheatingTembinok’,meddlingovermuchwithcopra,whichisthesourceofhiswealth,andoneofthesinewsofhispower,’PEAKING,andpoliticalintrigue。Ifeltguiltlessuponall;buthowtoshowit?Iwouldnothavetakencoprainagift:
howtoexpressthatqualitybymydinner-tablebearing?Therestofthepartysharedmyinnocenceandmyembarrassment。Theysharedalsoinmymortificationwhenaftertwowholemeal-timesandtheoddmomentsofanafternoondevotedtothisreconnoitring,Tembinok’tookhisleaveinsilence。Nextmorning,thesameundisguisedstudy,thesamesilence,wasresumed;andtheseconddayhadcometoitsmaturitybeforeIwasinformedabruptlythatI
hadstoodtheordeal。’Ilookyoureye。Yougoodman。Younolie,’saidtheking:adoubtfulcomplimenttoawriterofromance。
Laterheexplainedhedidnotquitejudgebytheeyeonly,butthemouthaswell。’TuppotiIseeman,’heexplained。’Inotavvygoodman,badman。Ilookeye,lookmouth。ThenItavvy。LookEYE,lookmouth,’herepeated。Andindeedinourcasethemouthhadthemosttodowithit,anditwasbyourtalkthatwegainedadmissiontotheisland;thekingpromisinghimselfandIbelievereallyamassingavastamountofusefulknowledgeereweleft。
Thetermsofouradmissionwereasfollows:Weweretochooseasite,andthekingshouldtherebuildusatown。Hispeopleshouldworkforus,butthekingonlywastogivethemorders。Oneofhiscooksshouldcomedailytohelpmine,andtolearnofhim。Incaseourstoresranout,hewouldsupplyus,andberepaidonthereturnoftheEQUATOR。Ontheotherhand,hewastocometomealswithuswhensoinclined;whenhestayedathome,adishwastobesenthimfromourtable;andIsolemnlyengagedtogivehissubjectsnoliquorormoneybothofwhichtheyareforbiddentopossessandnotobacco,whichtheyweretoreceiveonlyfromtheroyalhand。I
thinkIremembertohaveprotestedagainstthestringencyofthislastarticle;atleast,itwasrelaxed,andwhenamanworkedformeIwasallowedtogivehimapipeoftobaccoonthepremises,butnonetotakeaway。
ThesiteofEquatorCity-wenamedourcityfortheschooner-wassoonchosen。Theimmediateshoresofthelagoonarewindyandblinding;Tembinok’himselfisgladtogropeblue-spectacledonhisterrace;andwefledtheneighbourhoodoftheredCONJUNCTIVA,thesuppuratingeyeball,andthebeggarwhopursuesandbeseechesthepassingforeignerforeyewash。Behindthetownthecountryisdiversified;hereopen,sandy,uneven,anddottedwithdwarfishpalms;herecutupwithtarotrenches,deepandshallow,and,accordingtothegrowthoftheplants,presentingnowtheappearanceofasandytannery,nowofanalleyedandgreengarden。
Apathleadstowardsthesea,mountingabruptlytothemainleveloftheisland-twentyoreventhirtyfeet,althoughFindlaygivesfive;andjusthardbythetopoftherise,wherethecoco-palmsbegintobewellgrown,wefoundagroveofpandanus,andapieceofsoilpleasantlycoveredwithgreenunderbush。Awellwasnotfaroffunderarusticwell-house;nearerstill,inasandycupoftheland,apondwherewemightwashourclothes。Theplacewasoutofthewind,outofthesun,andoutofsightofthevillage。
Itwasshowntotheking,andthetownpromisedforthemorrow。
Themorrowcame,Mr。Osbournelanded,foundnothingdone,andcarriedhiscomplainttoTembinok’。Heheardit,rose,calledforaWinchester,steppedwithouttheroyalpalisade,andfiredtwoshotsintheair。AshotintheairisthefirstApemamawarning;
ithastheforceofaproclamationinmoreloquaciouscountries;
andhismajestyremarkedagreeablythatitwouldmakehislabourers’mo’bright。’Inlessthanthirtyminutes,accordingly,themenhadmustered,theworkwasbegun,andweweretoldthatwemightbringourbaggagewhenwepleased。
Itwastwointheafternoonerethefirstboatwasbeached,andthelongprocessionofchestsandcratesandsacksbegantostragglethroughthesandydeserttowardsEquatorTown。Thegroveofpandanuswaspracticallyathingofthepast。Firesurroundedandsmokeroseinthegreenunderbush。Inawidecircuittheaxeswerestillcrashing。Thoseveryadvantagesforwhichtheplacewaschosen,ithadbeentheking’sfirstideatoabolish;andinthemidstofthisdevastationtherestoodalreadyagood-sizedmaniap’