at is the matter with this island is the
want of respect for whites." On his way to Butaritari, while I was
there, he spied his wife in the bush with certain natives and made a
dash to capture her; whereupon one of her companions drew a knife and
the husband retreated: "Do you call that proper respect for whites?" he
cried. At an early stage of the acquaintance we proved our respect for
his kind of white by forbidding him our enclosure under pain of death.
Thenceforth he lingered often in the neighbourhood with I knew not what
sense of envy or design of mischief; his white, handsome face (which I
beheld with loathing) looked in upon us at all hours across the fence;
and once, from a safe distance, he avenged himself by shouting a
recondite island insult, to us quite inoffensive, on his English lips
incredibly incongruous.

Our enclosure, round which this composite of degradations wandered, was
of some extent. In one corner was a trellis with a long table of rough
boards. Here the Fourth of July feast had been held not long before with
memorable consequences, yet to be set forth; here we took our meals;
here entertained to a dinner the king and notables of Makin. In the
midst was the house, with a verandah front and back, and three rooms
within. In the verandah we slung our man-of-war hammocks, worked there
by day, and slept at night. Within were beds, chairs, a round table, a
fine hanging lamp, and portraits of the royal family of Hawaii. Queen
Victoria proves nothing; Kalakaua and Mrs. Bishop are diagnostic; and
the truth is we were the stealthy tenants of the parsonage. On the day
of our arrival Maka was away; faithless trustees unlocked his doors; and
the dear rigorous man, the sworn foe of liquor and tobacco, returned to
find his verandah littered with cigarettes and his parlour horrible with
bottles. He made but one condition--on the round table, which he used in
the celebration of the sacraments, he begged us to refrain from setting
liquor; in all else he bowed to the accomplished fact, refused rent,
retired across the way into a native house, and, plying in his boat,
beat the remotest quarters of the isle for provender. He found us
pigs--I could not fancy where--no other pigs were visible; he brought us
fowls and taro; when we gave our feast to the monarch and gentry, it was
he who supplied the wherewithal, he who superintended the cooking, he
who asked grace at table, and when the king's health was proposed, he