Author of “Picaroons,” “A Man of Iron,” Etc.
Whether it is an island in the South Seas or a great city,
the spell of one’s homeland holds, and the sight of
homeland face, when far afield, can work wonders in the
human heart, as Tauti and Uliami lived to learn.
In Tilafeaa there lived, many years ago, two young men, Tauti and Uliami
by name, and brothers in all things but birth.
Tilafeaa is a high island, very large, and many ships come there for
copra and turtle and beche de mer, and at night you can see the reef
alight with the torches of the fish spearers, and there is a club where
the white captains and the mates from the ships meet with the traders to
drink and talk.
The town is larger than the town here at Malaffii, but more spread, with
trees everywhere, and between the houses, artus and palms and bread
fruit, so that at night the lights of the town show like fireflies in
the thick bush.
Tauti’s house lay near the middle of the great street, near to the
church, while the house of Uliami was the last in all that street but
one, a pleasant house under the shadow of the true woods and close to
the mountain track that goes over the shoulder of Paulii and beyond.
It was at the house of Uliami that these two chiefly met, for Uliami was
the richer man and his house was the pleasanter house and he himself was
the stronger of the two--not in power of limb but in person. You will
have noticed that, of two men equal in the strength of the body, one
will be greater than the other, so that men and women will come to him
first, and he will be able to get the better price for his copra, and in
any public place he will find more consideration shown to him.
It was so with Uliami. He was first of these two as he might have been
the elder brother, and, though first, always put himself last, so great
was his spirit and love for Tauti. When they went fishing together,
though he caught more, it was always Tauti that brought home the
heaviest basket. The ripest fruit was always for Tauti, and once, at the
risk of his own, he had saved Tauti’s life.
As for Tauti, he was equally fine in spirit. Though Uliami might fill
his basket the fullest, he always tried to contrive that in the end
Uliami had the better fish and fruit, and once he, too, had risked his
life to save a man--and that man was Uliami.
Now since these two were inseparable and had given in spirit the life of
the one for the life of the other, nothing, you will say, could separate
them but Death which separates all things.