tastesofkirsch，andyetneitherisitkirsch。Theking，atleast，hasgrownusedtothisamazingbrand，andratherprideshimselfuponthetaste；andanysubstitutionisadoubleoffence，beingatoncetocheathimandtocastadoubtuponhispalate。A
similarweaknessistobeobservedinallconnoisseurs。NowthelastcasesoldbytheEQUATORwasfoundtocontainadifferentandIwouldfondlyfancyasuperiordistillation；andtheconversationopenedveryblackforCaptainReid。ButTembinok’isamoderateman。Hewasremindedandadmittedthatallmenwereliabletoerror，evenhimself；acceptedtheprinciplethatafaulthandsomelyacknowledgedshouldbecondoned；andwoundthematterupwiththisproposal：’TuppotiImi’take，you’peakeeme。Tuppotiyoumi’take，I’peakeeyou。Mo’betta。’
Afterdinnerandsupperinthecabin，aglassortwoof’Hennetti’-
thegenuinearticlethistime，withthekirschbouquet，-andfivehours’loungingonthetrade-roomcounter，royaltyembarkedforhome。Threetacksgroundedtheboatbeforethepalace；thewiveswerecarriedashoreonthebacksofvassals；Tembinok’
steppedonarailedplatformlikeasteamer’sgangway，andwasborneshoulderhighthroughtheshallows，upthebeach，andbyaninclinedplane，pavedwithpebbles，totheglaringterracewherehedwells。
CHAPTERII-THEKINGOFAPEMAMA：FOUNDATIONOFEQUATORTOWN
OURfirstsightofTembinok’wasamatterofconcern，almostalarm，tomywholeparty。Wehadafavourtoseek；wemustapproachinthepropercourtlyattitudeofasuitor；andmusteitherpleasehimorfailinthemainpurposeofourvoyage。ItwasourwishtolandandliveinApemama，andseemorenearathandtheoddcharacterofthemanandtheoddorratherancientconditionofhisisland。
InallotherislesoftheSouthSeasawhitemanmaylandwithhischest，andsetuphouseforalifetime，ifhechoose，andifhehavethemoneyorthetrade；nohindranceisconceivable。ButApemamaisacloseisland，lyingthereintheseawithcloseddoors；thekinghimself，likeavigilantofficer，readyatthewickettoscrutiniseandrejectintrenchingvisitors。Hencetheattractionofourenterprise；notmerelybecauseitwasalittledifficult，butbecausethissocialquarantine，acuriosityinitself，hasbeenthepreservativeofothers。
Tembinok’，likemosttyrants，isaconservative；likemanyconservatives，heeagerlywelcomesnewideas，and，exceptinthefieldofpolitics，leanstopracticalreform。Whenthemissionariescame，professingaknowledgeofthetruth，hereadilyreceivedthem；attendedtheirworship，acquiredtheaccomplishmentofpublicprayer，andmadehimselfastudentattheirfeet。Itisthus-itisbythecultivationofsimilarpassingchances-thathehaslearnedtoread，towrite，tocipher，andtospeakhisqueer，personalEnglish，sodifferentfromordinary’BeachdeMar，’
somuchmoreobscure，expressive，andcondensed。Hiseducationattendedto，hefoundtimetobecomecriticalofthenewinmates。
LikeNakaeiaofMakin，heisanadmirerofsilenceintheisland；
broodsoveritlikeagreatear；hasspieswhoreportdaily；andhadratherhissubjectssangthantalked。Theservice，andinparticularthesermon，werethussuretobecomeoffences：’Here，inmyisland，I’peak，’heonceobservedtome。’Mychiepsno’peak-dowhatItalk。’Helookedatthemissionary，andwhatdidhesee?’SeeKanaka’peakinabigoutch！’hecried，withastrongringofsarcasm。Yetheenduredthesubversivespectacle，andmightevenhavecontinuedtoendureit，hadnotafreshpointarisen。Helookedagain，toemployhisownfigure；andtheKanakawasnolongerspeaking，hewasdoingworse-hewasbuildingacopra-house。Thekingwastouchedinhischiefinterests；revenueandprerogativewerethreatened。Heconsideredbesidesandsomethinkwithhimthattradeisincompatiblewiththemissionaryclaims。’Tuppotimitonarythink”goodman”：verygood。Tuppotihethink”cobra”：nogood。Isendhimawayship。’SuchwashisabrupthistoryoftheevangelistinApemama。
Similardeportationsarecommon：’Isendhimawayship’istheepitaphofnotafew，hismajestypayingtheexile’sfaretothenextplaceofcall。Forinstance，beingpassionatelyfondofEuropeanfood，hehasseveraltimesaddedtohishouseholdawhitecook，andoneafteranotherthesehavebeendeported。They，ontheirside，sweartheywerenotpaidtheirwages；he，onhis，thattheyrobbedandswindledhimbeyondendurance：bothperhapsjustly。Amoreimportantcasewasthatofanagent，despatchedasIheardthestorybyafirmofmerchantstowormhiswayintotheking’sgoodgraces，become，ifpossible，premier，andhandlethecopraintheinterestofhisemployers。Heobtainedauthoritytoland，practisedhisfascinations，waspatientlylistenedtobyTembinok’，supposedhimselfonthehighwaytosuccess；andbehold！
whenthenextshiptouchedatApemama，thewould-bepremierwasflungintoaboat-hadonboard-hisfarepaid，andsogood-bye。
Butitisneedlesstomultiplyexamples；theproofofthepuddingisintheeating。WhenwecametoApemama，ofsomanywhitemenwhohavescrambledforaplaceinthatrichmarket，oneremained-
asilent，sober，solitary，niggardlyrecluse，ofwhomthekingremarks，’Ithinkhegood；heno’peak。’
Iwaswarnedattheoutsetwemightverywellfailinourdesign：
yetneverdreamedofwhatprovedtobethefact，thatweshouldbeleftfour-and-twentyhoursinsuspenseandcomewithinanaceofultimaterejection。CaptainReidhadprimedhimself；nosoonerwasthekingonboard，andtheHennettiquestionamicablysettled，thanheproceededtoexpressmyrequestandgiveanabstractofmyclaimsandvirtues。ThegammonaboutQueenVictoria’ssonmightdoforButaritari；itwasoutofthequestionhere；andInowfiguredas’oneoftheOldMenofEngland，’apersonofdeepknowledge，comeexpresslytovisitTembinok’sdominion，andeagertoreportuponittothenolesseagerQueenVictoria。Thekingmadenoshadowofananswer，andpresentlybeganuponadifferentsubject。
Wemighthavethoughtthathehadnotheard，ornotunderstood；
onlythatwefoundourselvesthesubjectofaconstantstudy。Aswesatatmeals，hetookusinseriesandfixeduponeach，fornearaminuteatatime，thesamehardandthoughtfulstare。Ashethuslookedheseemedtoforgethimself，thesubjectandthecompany，andtobecomeabsorbedintheprocessofhisthought；thelookwaswhollyimpersonal；Ihaveseenthesameintheeyesofportrait-
painters。Thecountsuponwhichwhiteshavebeendeportedaremainlyfour：cheatingTembinok’，meddlingovermuchwithcopra，whichisthesourceofhiswealth，andoneofthesinewsofhispower，’PEAKING，andpoliticalintrigue。Ifeltguiltlessuponall；buthowtoshowit?Iwouldnothavetakencoprainagift：
howtoexpressthatqualitybymydinner-tablebearing?Therestofthepartysharedmyinnocenceandmyembarrassment。Theysharedalsoinmymortificationwhenaftertwowholemeal-timesandtheoddmomentsofanafternoondevotedtothisreconnoitring，Tembinok’tookhisleaveinsilence。Nextmorning，thesameundisguisedstudy，thesamesilence，wasresumed；andtheseconddayhadcometoitsmaturitybeforeIwasinformedabruptlythatI
hadstoodtheordeal。’Ilookyoureye。Yougoodman。Younolie，’saidtheking：adoubtfulcomplimenttoawriterofromance。
Laterheexplainedhedidnotquitejudgebytheeyeonly，butthemouthaswell。’TuppotiIseeman，’heexplained。’Inotavvygoodman，badman。Ilookeye，lookmouth。ThenItavvy。LookEYE，lookmouth，’herepeated。Andindeedinourcasethemouthhadthemosttodowithit，anditwasbyourtalkthatwegainedadmissiontotheisland；thekingpromisinghimselfandIbelievereallyamassingavastamountofusefulknowledgeereweleft。
Thetermsofouradmissionwereasfollows：Weweretochooseasite，andthekingshouldtherebuildusatown。Hispeopleshouldworkforus，butthekingonlywastogivethemorders。Oneofhiscooksshouldcomedailytohelpmine，andtolearnofhim。Incaseourstoresranout，hewouldsupplyus，andberepaidonthereturnoftheEQUATOR。Ontheotherhand，hewastocometomealswithuswhensoinclined；whenhestayedathome，adishwastobesenthimfromourtable；andIsolemnlyengagedtogivehissubjectsnoliquorormoneybothofwhichtheyareforbiddentopossessandnotobacco，whichtheyweretoreceiveonlyfromtheroyalhand。I
thinkIremembertohaveprotestedagainstthestringencyofthislastarticle；atleast，itwasrelaxed，andwhenamanworkedformeIwasallowedtogivehimapipeoftobaccoonthepremises，butnonetotakeaway。
ThesiteofEquatorCity-wenamedourcityfortheschooner-wassoonchosen。Theimmediateshoresofthelagoonarewindyandblinding；Tembinok’himselfisgladtogropeblue-spectacledonhisterrace；andwefledtheneighbourhoodoftheredCONJUNCTIVA，thesuppuratingeyeball，andthebeggarwhopursuesandbeseechesthepassingforeignerforeyewash。Behindthetownthecountryisdiversified；hereopen，sandy，uneven，anddottedwithdwarfishpalms；herecutupwithtarotrenches，deepandshallow，and，accordingtothegrowthoftheplants，presentingnowtheappearanceofasandytannery，nowofanalleyedandgreengarden。
Apathleadstowardsthesea，mountingabruptlytothemainleveloftheisland-twentyoreventhirtyfeet，althoughFindlaygivesfive；andjusthardbythetopoftherise，wherethecoco-palmsbegintobewellgrown，wefoundagroveofpandanus，andapieceofsoilpleasantlycoveredwithgreenunderbush。Awellwasnotfaroffunderarusticwell-house；nearerstill，inasandycupoftheland，apondwherewemightwashourclothes。Theplacewasoutofthewind，outofthesun，andoutofsightofthevillage。
Itwasshowntotheking，andthetownpromisedforthemorrow。
Themorrowcame，Mr。Osbournelanded，foundnothingdone，andcarriedhiscomplainttoTembinok’。Heheardit，rose，calledforaWinchester，steppedwithouttheroyalpalisade，andfiredtwoshotsintheair。AshotintheairisthefirstApemamawarning；
ithastheforceofaproclamationinmoreloquaciouscountries；
andhismajestyremarkedagreeablythatitwouldmakehislabourers’mo’bright。’Inlessthanthirtyminutes，accordingly，themenhadmustered，theworkwasbegun，andweweretoldthatwemightbringourbaggagewhenwepleased。
Itwastwointheafternoonerethefirstboatwasbeached，andthelongprocessionofchestsandcratesandsacksbegantostragglethroughthesandydeserttowardsEquatorTown。Thegroveofpandanuswaspracticallyathingofthepast。Firesurroundedandsmokeroseinthegreenunderbush。Inawidecircuittheaxeswerestillcrashing。Thoseveryadvantagesforwhichtheplacewaschosen，ithadbeentheking’sfirstideatoabolish；andinthemidstofthisdevastationtherestoodalreadyagood-sizedmaniap’