er people now that her father was dead.

"'See,' he said to his father, 'see the insult put upon thee by these
proud ones of Yap--these dog-eating strangers who drifted to our land
as a log drifts upon the ocean. Thou hast given them fair lands with
running water, and great forest trees, and this girl refuses to marry
me. Am I as nothing that I should be so treated? Shall I, Lirou, be
laughed at? Am I a boy or a grown man?'

"The old chief, who desired peace, sought in vain to soothe him.
'Wait for another year,' he said, 'and it may be that she will be of a
different mind. And already thou hast two wives--why seek another?'

"'Because it is my will,' replied Lirou fiercely, and he went away,
nursing his wrath.

"One day a party of Roka's young men and women went in several canoes
to the group of small islands near the mainland called Pakin to catch
turtle; whilst the men were away out on the reef at night with their
turtle nets a number of Lirou's men came to the huts where the women
were and watched them cooking food to give to their husbands on their
return. Rain was falling heavily, and Lirou's men came into the houses,
unasked, and sat down and then began to jest with the women somewhat
rudely. This made them somewhat afraid, for they were all married, and
to jest with the wife of another man is looked upon as an evil thing.
But their husbands being a league away the women could do nothing and
went on with their cooking in silence. Presently, Lirou's men who had
brought with them some gourds of the grog called _rarait_, which is made
from sugar-cane, began to drink it and pressed the women to do so also.
When they refused to do so, the men became still more rude and bade the
women serve them with some of the food they had prepared. This was a
great insult, but being in fear, they obeyed. Then, as the grog made
them bolder, some of the men laid hands on the women and there was a
great outcry and struggle, and a young woman named Sipi-nah fell or was
thrown against a great burning log, and her face so badly burned that
she cried out in agony and ran outside, followed by all the other women.
They ran along the beach in the pouring rain till they were abreast
of the place where their husbands were fishing and called to them to
return. When the fishermen saw what had befallen Sipi-nah they were
filled with rage, for she was a blood-relation of Roka's, and hastening
back to the houses they rushed in upon Lirou's peopl