The Areois. 
43 
plenty to eat, for the people here are afraid of 
me. If I became a Christian they would give 
me nothing to eat, for my power over them 
would be gone.” 
“ But 1 should be ashamed to have it known 
that you belonged to such a wicked lot of 
scoundrels, old man,” said Captain M-with 
assumed severity ; “ everything that was done by 
the Areois was bad. Had not their power been 
broken by the missionaries there would have 
been no more people left in these islands in 
another twenty years after they had settled 
here.” 
“ Bah,” answered the old ex-priest, derisively, 
“ that is only missionary talk. There have been 
Areoi since first men were born. And, see, the 
people liked us; for we gave them songs, and 
music, and dancing. It is true that we made 
the women who bore us children kill them ; but 
that was wisely done ; for these islands are but 
little places, and but for us there would have 
come a time when the people would have eaten 
each other for hunger. It is better that useless 
children should die than grown people should 
starve.” 
Half an hour later the trader and the old ex- 
