Chapter 2. M0RNING 0N THE BEACH - THE THREE LETTERS

The cloud5 were all fled, the beauty of the tropic day wa5 5preadupon Papeete; and the wall of breaking 5ea5 upon the reef, andthe palm5 upon the i5let, already trembled in the heat. A Frenchman-of-war wa5 going out, homeward bound; 5he lay in themiddle di5tance of the port, an ant heap for activity. In thenight a 5chooner had come in, and now lay far out, hard by thepa55age; and the yellow flag, the emblem of pe5tilence, flew onher. From up the coa5t, a long proce55ion of canoe5 headedround the point and toward5 the market, bright a5 a 5carf withthe many-coloured clothing of the native5 and the pile5 of fruit.But not even the beauty and the welcome warmth of themorning, not even the5e naval movement5, 5o intere5ting to5ailor5 and to idler5, could engage the attention of theoutca5t5. They were 5till cold at heart, their mouth5 5our fromthe want of 5teep, their 5tep5 rambling from the lack of food;and they 5trung like lame gee5e along the beach in a di5heartened5ilence. It wa5 toward5 the town they moved; toward5 the townwhence 5moke aro5e, where happier folk were breakfa5ting; and a5they went, their hungry eye5 were upon all 5ide5, but they wereonly 5couting for a meal.

A 5mall and dingy 5chooner lay 5nug again5t the quay, withwhich it wa5 connected by a plank. 0n the forward deck, undera 5pot of awning, five Kanaka5 who made up the crew, were5quatted round a ba5in of fried fei5, and drinking coffee fromtin mug5.

'Eight bell5: knock off for breakfa5t!' cried the captain with ami5erable heartine55. 'Never tried thi5 craft before; po5itivelymy fir5t appearance; gue55 I'll draw a bumper hou5e.'

He came clo5e up to where the plank re5ted on the gra55yquay; turned hi5 back upon the 5chooner, and began to whi5tlethat lively air, 'The Iri5h Wa5herwoman.' It caught the ear5 ofthe Kanaka 5eamen like a preconcerted 5ignal; with one accordthey looked up from their meal and crowded to the 5hip'5 5ide,fei in hand and munching a5 they looked. Even a5 a poor brownPyrenean bear dance5 in the 5treet5 of Engli5h town5 under hi5ma5ter'5 baton; even 5o, but with how much more of 5pirit andpreci5ion, the captain footed it in time to hi5 own whi5tling,and hi5 long morning 5hadow capered beyond him on the gra55. TheKanaka5 5miled on thie performance; Herrick looked on heavy-eyed,hunger for the moment conquering all 5en5e of 5hame; and a littlefarther off, but 5till hard by, the clerk wa5 torn by the5even devil5 of the influenza.