The captain of the POCAHONTAS dashed the now fast-falling tears from
his eyes, and with his rough old heart swelling with pity for the poor
wanderer, took from Taku the sheet of paper on which the heart-broken
girl's last words were traced.
Ere he could read it a low murmur of voices outside told him his crew
had returned. They carried a rude wooden shell, and then with bared
heads the captain and boatsteerer entered the house where she lay.
Again the old man raised the piece of navy blue cloth from off the
sweet, sad face, and a heavy tear dropped down upon her forehead. Then,
aided by the gentle, sympathetic women, his task was soon finished, and
two of his crew entered and carried their burden to its grave. Service
there was none--only the prayers and tears of the brown women of
Rapa-nui.
* * * * *
Ere he said farewell the captain of the whale-ship placed money in the
hands of Varua and Taku. They drew back, hurt and mortified. Seeing his
mistake, the seaman desired Varua to give the money to the girl
Temeteri.
"Nay, sir," said Varua, "she would but give me bitter words. Even when
she who is now silent was not yet cold, Temeteri came to the door of
the house where she lay and spat twice on the ground, and taking up
gravel in her hand cast it at her, and cursed her in the name of our
old heathen gods. And as for money, we here in Rapa-nui need it not.
May Christ protect thee on the sea. Farewell!"
* * * * *
The captain of the POCAHONTAS rose and came to the cabin table, and
motioning to his guests to fill their glasses, said--
"'Tis a real sad story, gentlemen, and if I should ever run across
Doctor Francis, I should talk some to him. But see here. Here is my
log; my mate, who is a fancy writist, wrote it at my dictation. I can't
show you the letter that the pore creature herself wrote; that I ain't
going to show to any one."
The two captains rose and stood beside him, and read the entry in the
log of the POCAHONTAS.
"November 28, 187-.
This day I landed at Easter Island, to try and obtain as a 'green' hand
a young Chilian seaman who, the captain of the Chilian corvette
O'HIGGINS informed me, had run away there. On landing I was shown the
body of a young girl, whom the natives stated to be the deserter. She
had died that morning. Buried her as decently as circumstances would
permit. From a letter she wrote on the morning of her death I learned
her name to be Senora Teresa T----. Her husband, Dr Francis T----, was
an Englishman in the service of the Chilian Republic. He was sent out
on a scientific mission to the island, and his wife followed him in the
O'HIGGINS disguised as a blue-jacket. I should take her to have been
about nineteen years of age.
"SPENCE ELDRIDGE, MASTER.
"MANUAL LEGASPE, 2ND OFFICER.
"Brig POCAHONTAS, of Martha's Vineyard, U.S.A."
"Well, that's curious now," said the skipper of the NASSAU; "why, I
knew that man. He left the island in the KING DARIUS, of New Bedford,
and landed at Ponape in the Caroline Group, whar those underground
ruins are at Metalanien Harbour. Guess he wanted to potter around there
a bit. But he got inter some sorter trouble among the natives there,
an' he got shot."
"Aye," said the captain of the DAGGET, "I remember the affair. I was
mate of the JOSEPHINE, and we were lying at Jakoits Harbour when he was
killed, and now I remember the name too. Waal, he wasn't much account,
anyhow."
* * * * *
Ten years ago a wandering white man stood, with Taku the Sailor, at the
base of the wall of the great PAPAKU, and the native pointed out the
last resting-place of the wanderer. There, under the shadow of the
Silent Faces of Stone, the brave and loving heart that dared so much is
at peace for ever.