Short Stories
thrown by a fourth, who, instead of receiving the tobacco, got
a bullet through his lungs.
And so began Bunster's reign on Lord Howe. Three thou-
sand people lived in the principal village; but it was deserted,
even in broad day, when he passed through. Men, women,
and children fled before him. Even the dogs and pigs got out
of the way, while the king was not above hiding under a mat.
The two prime ministers lived in terror of Bunster, who never
discussed any moot subject, but struck out with his fists in-
stead.
And to Lord Howe came Mauki, to toil for Bunster for
eight long years and a half. There was no escaping from Lord
Howe. For better or worse, Bunster and he were tied together.
Bunster weighed two hundred pounds. Mauki weighed one
hundred and ten. Bunster was a degenerate brute. But Mauki
was a primitive savage. While both had wills and ways of their
own.
Mauki had no idea of the sort of master he was to work for.
He had had no warnings, and he had concluded as a matter of
course that Bunster would be like other white men, a drinker of
much whiskey, a ruler and a lawgiver who always kept his word
and who never struck a boy undeserved. Bunster had the ad-
vantage. He knew all about Mauki, and gloated over the coming
into possession of him. The last cook was suffering from a bro-
ken arm and a dislocated shoulder, so Bunster made Mauki cook
and general house-boy.
And Mauki soon learned that there were white men and
white men. On the very day the schooner departed he was or-
dered to buy a chicken from Samisee, the native Tongan missio-
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