t the nigger child, who was trotting about here and
there, and who seemed quite destitute of fear or concern.

When this creature saw the gigantic Adams who looked even more gigantic in
his white drill clothes, it laughed and ran away, with hands outspread and
head half slewed round. Then it hid behind a tree. There is nothing more
charming than the flight of a child when it wishes to be pursued. It is
the instinct of women and children to run away, so as to lead you on, and
it is the instinct of a rightly constituted man to follow. Adams came
toward the tree, and the villagers seated before their huts and the
soldiers seated in the shade all turned their heads like automata to
watch.

"Hi there, you ink-bottle!" cried Adams. "Hullo there, you black dogaroo!
Out you come, Uncle Remus!" Then he whistled.

He stood still, knowing that to approach closer would drive the dogaroo to
flight or to tree climbing.

There was nothing visible but two small black hands clutching the tree
bole; then the gollywog face, absolutely split in two with a grin,
appeared and vanished.

Adams sat down.

The old, old village woman who was, in fact, the child's grandmother, had
been looking on nervously, but when the big man sat down she knew he was
only playing with the child, and she called out something in the native,
evidently meant to reassure it. But she might have saved her breath, for
the black bundle behind the tree suddenly left cover and stood with hands
folded, looking at the seated man.

He drew his watch from his pocket and held it up. It approached. He
whistled, and it approached nearer. Two yards away it stopped dead.

"Tick-tick," said Adams, holding up the watch.

"Papeete N'quong," replied the other, or words to that effect.

It spoke in a hoarse, crowing voice not at all unpleasant. If you listen
to English children playing in the street you will often hear this
croaking sort of voice, like the voice of a young rook.

Papeete struck Adams as a good name for the animal and, calling him by it,
he held out the watch as a bait.

The lured one approached closer, held out a black claw, and next moment
was seized by the foot.

It rolled on the ground like a dog, laughing and kicking, and Adams
tickled it; and the grim soldiers laughed, showing their sharp white
teeth, and the old grandmother beat her hands together, palm to palm, as
if pleased, and the other villagers looked on without the ghost of an
expression on