FORMOSA THE BEAUTIFUL 



283 



Every bend in the path brought to 

 view some new slope more exquisitely 

 arrayed than the last — a profusion of 

 tropical foliage plants, elephants' ears, 

 plantains, and tree-ferns intermingled 

 with flowering shrubs of many varieties, 

 wild hydrangeas, morning-glories, pink 

 oleanders, hibiscus, and the lovely gold- 

 banded lilies of Japan. 



Kampanzan itself is not over 2,000 feet 

 in elevation, but the mountains surround- 

 ing it form a splendid setting, the lower 

 hills densely wooded and the higher 

 veiled in clouds and snow. 



Toward dusk we arrived at the savage 

 village, tucked away in a valley between 

 two mountains. Smoke clouded the door- 

 ways of the mud, grass-roofed huts, for 

 within savage mothers were boiling their 

 evening meal of sweet potatoes over 

 wood fires in the center of the floor. 



Children ran out at our approach, their 

 eyes quite wet and streaming tears from 

 their recent smoke bath, while their 

 sires, one-time braves, but now mere 

 blear-eyed phantoms of savagery, squat- 

 ted in front of their houses and blinked 

 at us, as we passed, between puffs from 

 long thin pipes. 



THE STORY OF KIM SOAN 



We went to a small Japanese inn, and 

 it was here that we met Kim Soan, after 

 we had finished supper and were wonder- 

 ing how to spend the hour before bed- 

 time. 



He came as the messenger from the 

 chief police official to inquire whether 

 we had everything we needed for our 

 comfort. A member of our party, who 

 has lived many years in Formosa and 

 speaks fluent Chinese, requested him to 

 convey our thanks to the police official, 

 and then return to us for a talk. After 

 he had gone our friend said, "I know 

 that man ; his face comes back to me," 

 and he told us what he knew of Kim 

 Soan's history. 



When the Chinese were still in posses- 

 sion of Formosa — a period of gross mis- 

 rule, from all accounts — there seems to 

 have been one governor with a few ad- 

 vanced ideas. He conceived the scheme 

 of educating the young boys of conquered 

 savage tribes and sending them back as 

 apostles of light to their people. But he 



reckoned without the volition of his 

 pupils, as in the case of Kim Soan, who 

 was one of these boys, and who after he 

 had become attached to the amenities of 

 civilization refused to return to savagery. 



Later, when the Japanese came to the 

 island, Kim Soan was commissioned to 

 accompany two Japanese officials who 

 were going to enter the savage territory 

 to take the census. The three set out, all 

 dressed alike in Japanese garb, and they 

 had not proceeded very far when they 

 were attacked by some savages, who 

 killed the two Japanese, but spared Kim 

 Soan. 



He returned to report the murders to 

 the authorities, and they, in turn, con- 

 demned him to die, deeming him respon- 

 sible for the two deaths. He managed to 

 escape, however, and fled to the moun- 

 tains, where he stayed for eight years. 

 Then he received his pardon, returned to 

 the plains, and was made an instructor in 

 the school for savage children at Kam- 

 panzan. 



"how many heads did you cut off?" 



Our companion had hardly finished this 

 narrative when Kim Soan himself reap- 

 peared. The conversation which took 

 place between the two follows : 



"Don't you remember me, Kim Soan, 

 and the little school at Tamsui that you 

 used to attend ?" 



"Oh, sir, that is a long time ago — so 

 long that it seems like a dream." 



"So you became a savage again. How 

 many heads did you cut off?" 



This remark had the effect of a bomb. 

 Instantly Kim Soan leaped to his feet, 

 and raising his hand, his voice choking 

 with emotion, said very solemnly, "I 

 swear by the heavens above and the earth 

 below my feet that I have never been 

 guilty of taking any human life." 



"But you have the tattoo-marks on 

 your forehead that indicate that you have 

 been admitted into the council of the men 

 of your tribe. Surely you must have pro- 

 cured at least one head to enable you to 

 accomplish that?" 



Again he asserted his innocence with 

 the same impressive solemnity. 



"Then you must have accompanied the 

 others on some head-hunting raid. You 

 couldn't refuse to go, could you?" 



