OF THE SOUTH SEAS 79 



bound. France and England were showing their teeth 

 at each other over more important differences, which 

 ended in a revolution in Paris and a change of kings, so 

 that the admiral had his way. The queen came back, 

 the priests established their mission and their churches, 

 and the Tahitians with any blood in them went to war 

 again. The French built forts about the island, and 

 killed off with their guns all the natives they could get 

 sight of. Then they took all the other islands around 

 here that England did n't have, declared Tahiti had to 

 be a protectorate in 1843, and in 1880 gave King Pomare 

 Fifth twelve thousand dollars a year to let them annex 

 his kingdom. You see, after all, his crown was made 

 by the British puritans, and taken from him by the 

 French or Romish Church." 



The aged Russian laughed in his huge whiskers. He 

 fished in the rear of his frock and produced the stump 

 of a cigar, for which I yielded a match. 



"I found that on the steps of the Roman Catholic 

 bishop's carriage, which was standing near here an hour 

 ago," he said. "They '11 tell you that you will burn in 

 hell; but they smoke here, and good Havana tobacco." 



"I think it 's a pity the Tahitians were n't left alone," 

 I asserted. 



He gave me a look such as Diogenes might have 

 given the man who stood in his sunlight. He lit his 

 cigar-end, puffed it dihgently for a minute, and then 

 said arbitrarily: 



"The Tahitian is, first, a coward, afraid to fight the 

 white ; but if he can, in a group or by secret, kill or hurt 

 you, he will. He is treacherous, and the more he pre- 

 tends to be your friend, the more he connives to cheat 



