OF THE SOUTH SEAS 305 



Magnificent semi-savages, clothed in only a rag, their 

 powerful muscles responsive to every demand of their 

 minds, and health glowing in their laughing counte- 

 nances : Polonsky, slight, bent, baldish, arrayed in Paris 

 fashions, a figure from the Bois de Boulogne, his glass 

 screwed in his weak eye, the other myopic, teeth missing, 

 and face pale. But at his command they hunted, for 

 he had that which they craved, the money of civilization, 

 to buy its toys and poisons. Polonsky had a reputa- 

 tion for generous dealing. 



A bent native man repairing the road near Faaripoo 

 had his face swathed in bandages. He greeted us with 

 the courteous, "la ora nal" but did not lift his head. 



"He is a leper," said Llewellyn. "I have seen him 

 for years on this road. He may not be here many more 

 days, because they are segregating the lepers. The 

 Government has built a lazaretto for them up that 

 road." 



We saw a group of little houses a short distance re- 

 moved from the road. They were fenced in and had an 

 institutional look. 



"There 's hundreds of lepers in Tahiti," remarked 

 McHenry. 



"Mac, you 're a damned liar," rephed Llewellyn. 

 He was an overlord in manner when with natives, but 

 his quarter aboriginal blood caused the least aspersion 

 on them by others to touch him on the raw. 



"Well, there 's a bloody lot o' them," broke in Lying 

 Bill. 



"Eighty only," stated Llewellyn, conclusively. "The 

 Government has taken a census, and they 're all to be 



