United States or Bouvet Island ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
All To'oto'o did was to buy a little cheap notoriety for eleven dollars and a music box." I never saw a man so stung in all my life as Oppenstedt. The eyes seemed to start from his head, and he glared at To'oto'o as though he could have strangled him. Tautala was quite forgotten in the intensity of his indignation toward Rosalie's uncle.
You see, he had been hating To'oto'o ferociously for six months, and couldn't switch off at a moment's notice on an absolute stranger like Tautala. Besides, his hatred for To'oto'o had become a kind of monomania with him, and now here I was telling him what a fool he had made of himself, and proving it with two witnesses and a music box. No wonder that he was staggered.
"Captain," she said, giving me a hug, "nobody will ever say a word against To'oto'o again, or try to belittle him as they used to, just because he's poor and lives on Seu's land, for to-day he fought like a lion and covered himself with glory!" "Took a head, or something?" I said. "A hero!" she exclaimed.
"And Rosalie shall marry her Silver Tongue after all," said Sasa. To'oto'o argued a little more for form's sake, and blustered somewhat about the Chief Justice, and how he would fight the matter out in the courts; but Seumanutafa's tone grew peremptory, and the old fellow finally gave way all round.
He laughed a good deal, demurred somewhat, and was finally persuaded to squeeze his Herculean dimensions into the trap and start off with us for To'oto'o's house at Songi. Here, after the usual ceremonious exchanges, the womenfolk and children melted away and left us alone with To'oto'o, whose ferretty eyes betrayed no small degree of curiosity and alarm.
I don't mean to go into the speech-making part of the performance, for what between Seumanutafa and Papalangi Mativa, and the talking-man Sasa had lent me for the occasion, and a divinity student who happened along, and somebody who said he was Fale Upolu and spoke for the entire Group, and an aged faipule from the Union Islands who seemed to have some kind of a grievance about his father's head, and the Chief Justice who had to butt in with the capitation tax we were kept there a matter of three hours or more, until at last the principals officially made it up, To'oto'o was forgiven, and everything ended happily.
Then 'ava was brought in, the arrangements made for the morrow, and we at length said tofa on the threshold, well pleased with our night's work. I wish you could have seen us next day going through the town in a little procession, headed by To'oto'o lashed to a pole and borne by a crowd of retainers.
Is it not said also that blessed is the peacemaker, and that the meek shall inherit the earth?" "Weighty is my grief and pain," said To'oto'o, "but what your Highness asks of me is impossible!" "O To'oto'o," said Seumanutafa, "this house is mine; this land is mine; the plantation i uta is mine also.
"He didn't murder him," I said. Silver Tongue's jaw fell. He looked at us quite overcome. For a minute he couldn't say a word. "Oh, but he deed!" he said at last. "It was Tautala that killed him," I said, indicating the young man we had brought from Mulinu'u, "and it turns out he sold your relation's head to To'oto'o for seven dollars and a music box."
I said, which in Kanaka is being sympathetic. "Dat is not all," said Silver Tongue. "Listen, gabtain!" "I'm listening," I said. "The warrior that killed O was To'oto'o, the matai," continued Papalangi Mativa with the air of one announcing the end of the world. "To'oto'o!" I said in all innocence.
Word Of The Day