had
interests, these were served by their replies. This is as in diplomacy
to-day, when the interests of one's country allows prevarication,
and even in Christian ethics both patriotism and self-preservation, as
well as hospitality, permit flat falsehood. Our own spies are honest
heroes, and the man who would not deceive a man who sought to kill
him or burn his house would be considered a fool and not worth saving.

"There is plenty more in the kitchen," we say to guests out of
hospitality and pride, though the kitchen is as bare as Mother
Hubbard's cupboard. She could not lie to the dog.

Now, to the native who saw all around him on the ship huge masses
of the material most precious to him in the world, it was as if an
American in Yucatan saw in a native hut heaps of gold and diamonds
not valued by the savage. Suppose the savage left the American alone
with the treasure!

But the Tahitians did not murder for blood lust, had no assassination,
and virtually no theft. Our own Anglo-Saxon law laid down the maxim,
"Caveat emptor!" "Let the buyer beware!" which meant that the truth
notwithstanding, the buyer must not let the seller of anything cheat
him by failure to state the exact facts or faults, and expect the
law to remedy his stupidity.

Chief Tetuanui's word was his bond because he had learned that
square-dealing brought him peace of mind, but other natives had found
out that to cheat the white man first was the only possible way of
keeping even with him. The maxim of the king of Apamama, quoted by
Ivan Stroganoff, was pertinent. Hospitality was as sacred to the
Tahitians as to the old Irish. It was shameful not to give a guest
anything he desired.

"Es su casa, senor!" said the Spaniard, and did not mean it; but the
Tahitians literally did mean that the visitor was welcome to all his
valuables, and did not reserve his family, as did the don.

The chevalier of the Legion of Honor upon whose mat I sat was emphatic
as to the respect of the old Tahitians for their chiefs.

"It was the whole code," said he, "and when the French broke it down
they destroyed us. There is Teriieroo a Teriierooterai, whose family
were chiefs of Punaauia for generations, shifted to Papenoo. Each
governor or admiral made these transfers here, as in the Marquesas
and all the islands, with the primary object of lessening native
cohesion, of Frenchifying us. They ruined our highest aspirations
and our manners."

I had seen something of