第31章 A PORTRAIT AND A STORY(3)

It chances that the only rivals of Monseigneur and his mission in the Marquesas were certain of these brown-skinned evangelists,natives from Hawaii.I know not what they thought of Father Dordillon:they are the only class I did not question;but Isuspect the prelate to have regarded them askance,for he was eminently human.During my stay at Tai-o-hae,the time of the yearly holiday came round at the girls'school;and a whole fleet of whale-boats came from Ua-pu to take the daughters of that island home.On board of these was Kauwealoha,one of the pastors,a fine,rugged old gentleman,of that leonine type so common in Hawaii.He paid me a visit in the CASCO,and there entertained me with a tale of one of his colleagues,Kekela,a missionary in the great cannibal isle of Hiva-oa.It appears that shortly after a kidnapping visit from a Peruvian slaver,the boats of an American whaler put into a bay upon that island,were attacked,and made their escape with difficulty,leaving their mate,a Mr.Whalon,in the hands of the natives.The captive,with his arms bound behind his back,was cast into a house;and the chief announced the capture to Kekela.And here I begin to follow the version of Kauwealoha;it is a good specimen of Kanaka English;and the reader is to conceive it delivered with violent emphasis and speaking pantomime.

'"I got 'Melican mate,"the chief he say."What you go do 'Melican mate?"Kekela he say."I go make fire,I go kill,I go eat him,"he say;"you come to-mollow eat piece.""I no WANT eat 'Melican mate!"Kekela he say;"why you want?""This bad shippee,this slave shippee,"the chief he say."One time a shippee he come from Pelu,he take away plenty Kanaka,he take away my son.'Melican mate he bad man.I go eat him;you eat piece.""I no WANT eat 'Melican mate!"Kekela he say;and he CLY -all night he cly!To-mollow Kekela he get up,he put on blackee coat,he go see chief;he see Missa Whela,him hand tie'like this.(PANTOMIME.)Kekela he cly.He say chief:-"Chief,you like things of mine?you like whale-boat?""Yes,"he say."You like file-a'm?"(fire-arms).

"Yes,"he say."You like blackee coat?""Yes,"he say.Kekela he take Missa Whela by he shoul'a'(shoulder),he take him light out house;he give chief he whale-boat,he file-a'm,he blackee coat.

He take Missa Whela he house,make him sit down with he wife and chil'en.Missa Whela all-the-same pelison (prison);he wife,he chil'en in Amelica;he cly -O,he cly.Kekela he solly.One day Kekela he see ship.(PANTOMIME.)He say Missa Whela,"Ma'Whala?"Missa Whela he say,"Yes."Kanaka they begin go down beach.

Kekela he get eleven Kanaka,get oa'(oars),get evely thing.He say Missa Whela,"Now you go quick."They jump in whale-boat.

"Now you low!"Kekela he say:"you low quick,quick!"(VIOLENTPANTOMIME,AND A CHANGE INDICATING THAT THE NARRATOR HAS LEFT THEBOAT AND RETURNED TO THE BEACH.)All the Kanaka they say,"How!

'Melican mate he go away?"-jump in boat;low afta.(VIOLENTPANTOMIME,AND CHANGE AGAIN TO BOAT.)Kekela he say,"Low quick!"'

Here I think Kauwealoha's pantomime had confused me;I have no more of his IPSISSIMA VERBA;and can but add,in my own less spirited manner,that the ship was reached,Mr.Whalon taken aboard,and Kekela returned to his charge among the cannibals.But how unjust it is to repeat the stumblings of a foreigner in a language only partly acquired!A thoughtless reader might conceive Kauwealoha and his colleague to be a species of amicable baboon;but I have here the anti-dote.In return for his act of gallant charity,Kekela was presented by the American Government with a sum of money,and by President Lincoln personally with a gold watch.From his letter of thanks,written in his own tongue,I give the following extract.I do not envy the man who can read it without emotion.

'When I saw one of your countrymen,a citizen of your great nation,ill-treated,and about to be baked and eaten,as a pig is eaten,Iran to save him,full of pity and grief at the evil deed of these benighted people.I gave my boat for the stranger's life.This boat came from James Hunnewell,a gift of friendship.It became the ransom of this countryman of yours,that he might not be eaten by the savages who knew not Jehovah.This was Mr.Whalon,and the date,Jan.14,1864.

As to this friendly deed of mine in saving Mr.Whalon,its seed came from your great land,and was brought by certain of your countrymen,who had received the love of God.It was planted in Hawaii,and I brought it to plant in this land and in these dark regions,that they might receive the root of all that is good and true,which is LOVE.

'1.Love to Jehovah.

'2.Love to self.

'3.Love to our neighbour.

'If a man have a sufficiency of these three,he is good and holy,like his God,Jehovah,in his triune character (Father,Son,and Holy Ghost),one-three,three-one.If he have two and wants one,it is not well;and if he have one and wants two,indeed,is not well;but if he cherishes all three,then is he holy,indeed,after the manner of the Bible.

'This is a great thing for your great nation to boast of,before all the nations of the earth.From your great land a most precious seed was brought to the land of darkness.It was planted here,not by means of guns and men-of-war and threatening.It was planted by means of the ignorant,the neglected,the despised.Such was the introduction of the word of the Almighty God into this group of Nuuhiwa.Great is my debt to Americans,who have taught me all things pertaining to this life and to that which is to come.

'How shall I repay your great kindness to me?Thus David asked of Jehovah,and thus I ask of you,the President of the United States.

This is my only payment -that which I have received of the Lord,love -(aloha).'