e at last when his labours, which resembled those rather of
Penelope than Hercules, could be no more spun out, and nothing remained
but to pay him and say farewell. After a long, learned argument in
Marquesan, I gathered that his mind was set on fish-hooks; with three of
which, and a brace of dollars, I thought he was not ill rewarded for
passing his forenoons in our cockpit, eating, drinking, delivering his
opinions, and pressing the ship's company into his menial service. For
all that, he was a man of so high a bearing and so like an uncle of my
own who should have gone mad and got tattooed, that I applied to him,
when we were both on shore, to know if he were satisfied. "_Mitai
ehipe?_" I asked. And he, with rich unction, offering at the same time
his hand--"_Mitai ehipe, mitai kaekae; kaoha nui!_"--or, to translate
freely: "The ship is good, the victuals are up to the mark, and we part
in friendship." Which testimonial uttered, he set off along the beach
with his head bowed and the air of one deeply injured.

I saw him go, on my side, with relief. It would be more interesting to
learn how our relation seemed to Mapiao. His exigence, we may suppose,
was merely loyal. He had been hired by the ignorant to do a piece of
work; and he was bound that he would do it the right way. Countless
obstacles, continual ignorant ridicule, availed not to dissuade him. He
had his dinner laid out; watched it, as was fit, the while he worked;
ate it at the fit hour; was in all things served and waited on; and
could take his hire in the end with a clear conscience, telling himself
the mystery was performed duly, the beards rightfully braided, and we
(in spite of ourselves) correctly served. His view of our stupidity,
even he, the mighty talker, must have lacked language to express. He
never interfered with my Tahuku work; civilly praised it, idle as it
seemed; civilly supposed that I was competent in my own mystery: such
being the attitude of the intelligent and the polite. And we, on the
other hand--who had yet the most to gain or lose, since the product was
to be ours--who had professed our disability by the very act of hiring
him to do it--were never weary of impeding his own more important
labours, and sometimes lacked the sense and the civility to refrain from
laughter.

CHAPTER XIV

IN A CANNIBAL VALLEY

The road from Taahauku to Atuona skirted the north-westerly side of the
anchorage, somewhat high up, edged, and somet