citement he laid hold
with his little slim black fingers like a bird's claw on the neck of the
friend in front of him. All through the rest of the show, as one picture
followed another on the white sheet, he sat there grasping and
clutching, and goodness knows whether he were more pleased or
frightened.

Doubtless it was a very fine thing to see all those bright pictures
coming out and dying away again, one after another; but doubtless it was
rather alarming also, for how was it done? At last when there appeared
upon the screen the head of a black woman (as it might be his own mother
or sister), and this black woman of a sudden began to roll her eyes, the
fear or the excitement, whichever it was, rung out of him a loud,
shuddering sob. I think we all ought to admire his courage when, after
an evening spent in looking at such wonderful miracles, he and Austin
set out alone through the forest to the lean man's house. It was late at
night and pitch dark when some of the party overtook the little white
boy and the big black boy, marching among the trees with their lantern.
I have told you this wood has an ill name, and all the people of the
island believe it to be full of evil spirits; it is a pretty dreadful
place to walk in by the moving light of a lantern, with nothing about
you but a curious whirl of shadows, and the black night above and
beyond. But Arick kept his courage up, and I dare say Austin's too, with
a perpetual chatter, so that the people coming after heard his voice
long before they saw the shining of the lantern.

TUSITALA.

IV

TO AUSTIN STRONG

_Vailima, November_ 2, 1892.

My dear Austin,--First and foremost I think you will be sorry to hear
that our poor friend Arick has gone back to the German firm. He had not
been working very well, and we had talked of sending him off before; but
remembering how thin he was when he came here, and seeing what fat
little legs and what a comfortable little stomach he had laid on in the
meanwhile, we found we had not the heart. The other day, however, he set
up chat to Henry, the Samoan overseer, asking him who he was and where
he came from, and refusing to obey his orders. I was in bed in the
workmen's house, having a fever. Uncle Lloyd came over to me, told me of
it, and I had Arick sent up. I told him I would give him another chance.
He was taken out and asked to apologise to Henry, but he would do no
such thing. He preferred to go back to th