k up the pack, shuffled it, and handed it to Kivi to
cut. Then Kivi solemnly stacked before him the eighty-five packets
of matches, all that remained in the islands. Five packs went upon
the mat for ante, and Kivi very slowly picked up his cards.

He surveyed them, and a grim smile of incredulity and delight spread
over his ink-decorated countenance. He opened for ten packets. O
Lalala quickly put down as many, and thirty more.

Kivi chuckled as one who has his enemy in his hand, but stifles his
feelings to hide his triumph. He then carefully counted his
remaining wealth, and with a gesture of invitation slid the entire
seventy packets about his knees. They were a great bulk, quite 840
boxes of matches, and they almost obscured the curving palms of blue
tattooed on his mighty thighs.

Again he chuckled and this time put his knuckles over his mouth.
"Patty!" said Great Fern for him, and made a gesture disdaining more
cards.

O Lalala scrutinized his face as the sailor the heavens in a storm,
and then studied the visages of all his backers. He closed his eyes
a moment. Then, "My cally!" he said, as he pushed a great heap of
_toendstikkers_ onto the cane mat. The _kava_-drinkers grew black
with excitement.

Kivi hesitated, and then, amid the most frightful curses of his
company, laid down only a pair of kings, a six, a nine, and a jack.
O Lalala, without a smile, disclosed a pair of aces and three
meaningless companions.

The game was over. The men of Hiva-oa had thrown their last spear.
Magic had been unavailing; the demon foreigner could read through
the cards. Kivi fell back helpless, grief and _kava_ prostrating him.
The torches died down as the winner picked up his spoils and
prepared to retire.

At this moment a man dashed madly through the grove, displaying two
boxes and a handful of separate matches. O Lalala at first refused
to play for this trifling stake, but in a storm of menacing cries
consented to cut the pack for double or nothing, and in a twinkling
extinguished the last hope.

The last comer had looted the governor's palace. The ultimate match
in the Marquesas had been lost to the Tahitian. He now had the
absolute monopoly of light and of cooking.

Soberly the rest of the valley dwellers went home to unlighted huts.

Next morning, after a cold breakfast, I was early afoot in the valley.
On the way to the trader's store I beheld the complacent winner in
his cabin. Through the open door I saw t