rd. Certainly
this evidently amiable race had a very embarrassing way of receiving
strangers.

Just at this moment, when my bewilderment was fast verging on
exasperation, relief came. The circle opened, and a little elderly
man, who had evidently come in haste, confronted me, and, bowing very
politely, addressed me in English. His voice was the most pitiable
abortion of a voice I had ever heard. While having all the defects in
articulation of a child's who is just beginning to talk, it was not
even a child's in strength of tone, being in fact a mere alternation of
squeaks and whispers inaudible a rod away. With some difficulty I was,
however, able to follow him pretty nearly.

"As the official interpreter," he said, "I extend you a cordial welcome
to these islands. I was sent for as soon as you were discovered, but
being at some distance, I was unable to arrive until this moment. I
regret this, as my presence would have saved you embarrassment.
My countrymen desire me to intercede with you to pardon the wholly
involuntary and uncontrollable mirth provoked by your attempts to
communicate with them. You see, they understood you perfectly well, but
could not answer you."

"Merciful heavens!" I exclaimed, horrified to find my surmise correct;
"can it be that they are all thus afflicted? Is it possible that you are
the only man among them who has the power of speech?"

Again it appeared that, quite unintentionally, I had said something
excruciatingly funny; for at my speech there arose a sound of gentle
laughter from the group, now augmented to quite an assemblage, which
drowned the plashing of the waves on the beach at our feet. Even the
interpreter smiled.

"Do they think it so amusing to be dumb?" I asked.

"They find it very amusing," replied the interpreter, "that their
inability to speak should be regarded by any one as an affliction; for
it is by the voluntary disuse of the organs of articulation that they
have lost the power of speech, and, as a consequence, the ability even
to understand speech."

"But," said I, somewhat puzzled by this statement, "did n't you just
tell me that they understood me, though they could not reply, and are
they not laughing now at what I just said?"

"It is you they understood, not your words," answered the interpreter.
"Our speech now is gibberish to them, as unintelligible in itself as the
growling of animals; but they know what we are saying, because they
know our thoughts.