290 MYSTIC ISLES 



brought many cries of ''Maitai! Good!" Kelly took 

 up his accordion, and began to play the sacred air of 

 "Revive us Again 1" 



He led the singing of his version : 



"Hallelujah! I 'm a bum! Hallelujah! Bum again! 

 Hallelujah! Give us a hand-out! To save us from sin!" 



The Tahitians rocked to and fro, threw back their 

 heads, and, their eyes shut as in their religious himenes, 

 chorused joyfully: 



"Hahrayrooyah ! I 'm a boom ! Hahrayrooyah ! Boomagay ! 

 Hahrayrooyah ! Hizzandow ! To tave ut f ruh tin !" 



They sang the refrain a dozen times, and then Kelly 

 dismissed the meeting with a request for "three cheers 

 for the I. W. W." 



There is no "w" in French or in Tahitian, and the in- 

 terpreter said, "Ruperupe ah-ee dohblevay ddiblevay!" 

 And the Tahitians : " Ai dobbebelly dobbebelly !" 



Kelly came down from the platform, his freckled face 

 shining and his eyes serious but twinkling. He greeted 

 me as the natives lit cigarettes and filed out. 



"I 'm runnin' their strike for them," he said. "It 's 

 on the square. The poor fish! They don't make 

 hardly enough to pay for their nets, let alone an honest 

 day's pay, and they 're up half the night and takin' 

 chances with the sharks and the devil-fish. They have 

 to pay market dues and all sorts of taxes. They 're 

 good stiffs all right, and every one has a membership 

 card in the I. W. W. applied for." 



When we went outside, I saw that the Dummy who 

 had been a witness of the scene in the hall, had a 



