had made, we began to climb
the trail through the village.

At each of the dozen houses we passed I had to stop and say _Kaoha_
to the occupants. In these islands there is none of that coldness
toward the casual passer-by which is common in America, where one
may walk through the tiniest village and receive no salutation unless
the village constable sees a fee in arresting the wayfarer for not
having money or a job. All the elders were tattooed, and as every
island and even every valley differed in its style of skin decoration,
these people had new patterns and pictures of interest to me. I made
it a point to linger a little before each house, praising the
appearance of these tattooed old people, both because it pleased
them and because it is a pity that this national art expression
should die out at the whim of whites who substitute nothing for it.
By this deprivation, as by a dozen others, the Marquesans have been
robbed of racial pride and clan distinction, and their social life
destroyed.

Despite this delay, Orivie and I were soon past the houses. As
population has decreased in all the valleys the people have moved
down from the upper heights to districts nearer the sea, for
neighborliness and convenience. Only a few in some places have
remained in the further glens, and these are the non-conformists, who
retain yet their native ways of thought and living and their ancient
customs. This I knew, but I pursued my way behind the climbing
little horse, enjoying the many sights and perfumes of the jungle,
in happy ignorance of an experience soon to befall me with one of
these residents of the heights. It fell upon me suddenly, the most
embarrassing of several experiences that have divided me between
fear and laughter.

Perhaps a mile above the village, in a wilderness of shrubbery, trees,
and giant ferns, we came upon a cross-trail, a thin line of travel
hardly breaking the dense growth, and saw a woman appear from among
the leaves. She was large, perhaps five feet, ten inches, tall; a
Juno figure, handsome and lithe. Such a woman of her age, about
twenty-two years, does the work of a man, makes copra, fells trees,
lifts heavy stones, and is a match for the average man in strength.
She was dark, as are all Marquesans who live a hardy and vigorous
life unsheltered from sun and wind, and in the half shadow of the
forest she seemed like an animal, wild and savage. Her scarlet
_pareu_ and necklace of red peppers added