An Island King. 
T ILL within eight years ago the comman¬ 
ders of the various ships of war on the 
Australian station used to be familiar with the 
name of an island king who, in his small way, 
gave them considerable trouble. He was, per¬ 
haps, the most famed of all the chiefs of that 
vast area of scattered islands and islets in the 
North and South Pacific vaguely described as the 
“ South Sea Islands,” and, indeed, his courage in 
war, cunning in diplomacy, and general all round 
“ cuteness,” were only equalled by the famous 
old Samoan fighting chief, Mataafa, and the late 
Maafu, the once dreaded Tongan rival of King 
Cacobau of Fiji. The name of this personage 
was Tern Benoke, but he was generally known 
as Apinoka ; and his dominions were the great 
chain of coral islands which enclose the noble 
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