258 MYSTIC ISLES 



a magnificent body. He also lived at the Annexe, and 

 did his training in the garden under Afa's clever hands. 

 The Dummy must have admired him, for he would 

 watch him exercising and boxing for hours, and make 

 farcical sounds and grotesque gestures to indicate his 

 understanding of the motions and blows. 



The Kid asked me if I knew Ernest Darling, "the na- 

 ture man," and identified the too naked wearer of toga 

 and sandals on the San Francisco wharf as Darling. 



" 'E looked like Christ," said the boxer. *' 'E was a 

 queer un. How 'd you like to chyse up there to his 

 roost in the 'ills?" 



The next morning at five — ^it was not daybreak until 

 six — we met at Wing Luey's for coffee and bread, which 

 cost four cents. Prince Hinoe was there as usual, and 

 asked us whither away. He laughed when we told him, 

 and said the nature men were maamaa, crazy. The Kid 

 was of the same mind. 



We went up the rue de Sainte Amelie to the end of 

 the road, and continued on up the valley. We could see 

 far above us a small structure, which was the Eden that 

 Darling had made for the Adamic colony he had estab- 

 lished. 



The climb was a stiff one on a mere wild pig-trail. 



*'The nyture man would 'ike up 'ere several times a 

 day, after the frogs closed his road," said the New Zea- 

 lander. "There was less brush than now, though, be- 

 cause 'e cut it aw'y to carry lumlDer and things up and 

 to bring back the things 'e grew for market. 'E and 

 'is gang believed in nykedness, vegetables, socialism, no 

 religion, and no drugs. The nytives think they 're bug- 

 'ouse, like Prince Hinoe, and I don't think they 're all 



