smaller and broken stones to which time and the action
of the weather had given a comparatively smooth surface.

"Tell me of it, Rai," I said.

"Presently, friend, after we have had the drink of kava and eaten some
food. Ah, this green kava of ours is good to drink, not like the weak,
dried root that the women of Samoa chew and mix with much water in a
wooden bowl. What goodness can there be in that? Here, we take the root
fresh from the soil when it is full of juice, beat it to a pulp and add
but little water."

"It is good, Rai," I admitted, "but give me only a little. It is too
strong for me and a full bowl would cause me to stagger and fall."

He laughed good-naturedly as he handed me a half coco-nut shell
containing a little of the thick greenish-yellow liquid. And then, after
all had drunk in turn, the baskets of cold baked food were opened and
we ate; and then as we lit our pipes and smoked Rai told us the story of
Tokolme.

"In those days, before the white men came here to this country, though
they had been to islands not many days' sail from here by canoe, there
were but two great chiefs of Ponape--now there are seven--one was Lirou,
who ruled all this part of the land, and who dwelt at Roan Kiti with two
thousand people, and the other was Roka, king of all the northern coast
and ruler of many villages. Roka was a great voyager and had sailed as
far to the east as Kusaie, which is two hundred leagues from here, and
his people were proud of him and his great daring and of the slaves that
he brought back with him from Kusaie.{*}

* Strongs Island.

"Here in Tokolme lived three hundred and two-score people, who owed
allegiance neither to Lirou nor Roka, for their ancestors had come to
Ponape from Yap, an island far to the westward. After many years of
fighting on the coast they made peace with Lirou's father, who gave them
all this piece of country as a free gift, and without tribute, and many
of their young men and women intermarried with ours, for the language
and customs of Yap are akin to those of Ponape.

"Soon after peace was made and Tolan, chief of the strangers, had built
the village and made plantations, he died, and as he left no son, his
daughter Lea became chieftainess, although she was but fourteen years of
age.

"Lirou, who was a haughty, overbearing young man, sent presents, and
asked her in marriage, and great was his anger when she refused, saying
that she had no desire to leave h