dicine-tree, reverend precinct, and devout attendants; to be
handled by the profane; to cross three seas; to come to land under the
foolscap of St. Paul's; to be domesticated within hail of Lillie Bridge;
there to be dusted by the British housemaid, and to take perhaps the
roar of London for the voice of the outer sea along the reef. Before
even we had finished dinner Chench had begun his journey, and one of the
newspapers had already placed the box upon my table as the gift of
Tembinok'.

I made haste to the palace, thanked the king, but offered to restore the
box, for I could not bear that the sick of the island should be made to
suffer. I was amazed by his reply. Terutak', it appeared, had still
three or four in reserve against an accident; and his reluctance, and
the dread painted at first on every face, was not in the least
occasioned by the prospect of medical destitution, but by the immediate
divinity of Chench. How much more did I respect the king's command,
which had been able to extort in a moment and for nothing a sacrilegious
favour that I had in vain solicited with millions! But now I had a
difficult task in front of me; it was not in my view that Terutak'
should suffer by his virtue; and I must persuade the king to share my
opinion, to let me enrich one of his subjects, and (what was yet more
delicate) to pay for my present. Nothing shows the king in a more
becoming light than the fact that I succeeded. He demurred at the
principle; he exclaimed, when he heard it, at the sum. "Plenty money!"
cried he, with contemptuous displeasure. But his resistance was never
serious; and when he had blown off his ill-humour--"A' right," said he.
"You give him. Mo' betta."

Armed with this permission, I made straight for the infirmary. The night
was now come, cool, dark, and starry. On a mat, hard by a clear fire of
wood and coco-shell, Terutak' lay beside his wife. Both were smiling;
the agony was over, the king's command had reconciled (I must suppose)
their agitating scruples; and I was bidden to sit by them and share the
circulating pipe. I was a little moved myself when I placed five gold
sovereigns in the wizard's hand; but there was no sign of emotion in
Terutak' as he returned them, pointed to the palace, and named
Tembinok'. It was a changed scene when I had managed to explain.
Terutak', long, dour Scots fisherman as he was, expressed his
satisfaction within bounds; but the wife beamed; and there was an old
gen