, and the chief of Siumu had, as I afterwards explained to
March-mont, fallen a victim to his "fatal beauty".

One morning, a few days after the presentation of the _tanoa_
(kava-bowl) to the Man Who Knew Everything, a schooner appeared outside
the reef and hove-to, there being no harbour at Siumu. She was an
American vessel, and had come to buy copra from, and land goods for, the
local trader. There was a rather heavy sea running on the reef at the
time, and the work of shipping the copra and landing the stores
proved so difficult and tedious that I lent my boat and crew to help.
Unfortunately Marama was laid up with influenza, so could not take
charge of the boat; I also was on the sick list, with a heavy cold.
However, my crew were to be trusted, and they made several trips during
the morning. Marchmont, after lunch, wanted to board the schooner, and
also offered to take charge of the boat and crew for the rest of the
day. Knowing that he was not used to surf work, I declined his offer,
but told him he could go off on board if he did not mind a wetting. He
was quite nettled, and angrily asked me if I thought he could not take
a whaleboat through a bit of surf as well as either Marama or myself. I
replied frankly that I did not.

He snorted with contempt "Bosh. I've taken boats through surf five times
as bad as it is now--a tinker could manage a boat in the little sea that
is running now. You fellows are all alike--you think that you and your
natives know everything."

"Oh, then, do as you like," I replied angrily, "but if you smash that
boat it means a loss of L50, and----"

"Hang your L50! If I hurt your boat, I'll pay for the damage. But don't
begin to preach at me."

With great misgivings, I saw the boat start off, manned by eight men,
using native paddles, instead of oars, as was customary in surf work.
Marchmont, certainly, by good luck, managed to get her over the reef,
for I could see that he was quite unused to handling a steer oar.
However, my native crew, by watching the sea and taking no heed of the
steersman, shot the boat over the reef into deep water beyond. But in
getting alongside the schooner he nearly swamped, and I was told began
abusing my crew for a set of blockheads. This, of course, made them
sulky--to be abused for incompetence by an incompetent stranger, was
hard to bear, especially as the men, like all the natives of their
islands (Rotumah and Niue), were splendid fellows at boat work.