FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113  
114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   >>   >|  
e, slew three of them, put their heads in baskets and brought them to Roka. "From this thing came a long war which was called 'the war of the face of Sipi-nah,' and a great battle was fought in canoes on the lagoon. Lirou's father with many hundreds of his people were slain, and the rest fled to Roan Kiti pursued by King Roka, who burnt the town. Then Lirou (who, now that his father was killed, was chief) sued for peace, and promised Roka a yearly tribute of three thousand plates of turtle shell, and five new canoes. So Roka, being satisfied, sailed away, and there was peace. Had he so desired it he could have utterly swept away all Lirou's people and burned their villages and destroyed every one of their plantations, but although he was a great fighting man he was not cruel. Yet he said to Sipi-nah, after peace was made: 'I pray thee, come near me no more; for although I have revenged myself upon those who have ill-used and insulted thee and me, my hand will again incline to the spear if I look upon thy scarred face again. And I want no more wars.' "The son of Lirou (who now took his father's name) and his people began, with heavy hearts, to rebuild the town. After the council house was finished, Lirou told them to cease work and called together his head men and spoke. "'Why should we labour to build more houses here?' he said. 'See, this is my mind. Only for one year shall I pay this heavy tribute to Roka Then shall I defy him.' "The head men were silent. "Lirou laughed. 'Have no fear. I am no boaster. But we cannot fight him here in Roan Kiti, which is open to the sea, and never can we make it a strong fort, for here we have no _falat_,{*} nor yet any great forest trees. But at Tokolme are many thousands of the great stones and mighty trees in plenty. Ah, my father was a foolish man to give such a place to people who fought against us. Are we fools, to build here another weak town, and let Roka bear the more heavily upon us? Answer me!' * "Falat" is the natives' name for the huge prisms of basalt with which the mysterious and Cyclopean walls, canals, vaults, and forts are constructed on the island of Ponape. "'What wouldst thou have, O chief,' asked one of the head men. "'I would have Tokolme. It is mine inheritance. There can we make a strong fort, and from there shall we have entrance to the sea by the river. Are we to let these dogs from Yap deny us?' "'Let us ask them to give us,
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113  
114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
people
 

father

 

tribute

 

strong

 

Tokolme

 
called
 
canoes
 

fought

 
inheritance
 

houses


entrance

 

laughed

 
boaster
 

silent

 
constructed
 

heavily

 
labour
 
island
 

Ponape

 

Answer


Cyclopean

 

canals

 

mysterious

 

basalt

 

natives

 

prisms

 

thousands

 

forest

 

vaults

 

stones


mighty

 
wouldst
 

foolish

 

plenty

 

turtle

 
promised
 

yearly

 
thousand
 

plates

 
satisfied

sailed
 

burned

 
villages
 
utterly
 

desired

 

killed

 
brought
 

baskets

 
battle
 

pursued