Page:Scented isles and coral gardens- Torres Straits, German New Guinea and the Dutch East Indies, by C.D. Mackellar, 1912.pdf/58

34 on the sand with a great display, amidst yells of delight from the others, in which she herself joins. What kills me is to see them leaping with frantic energy yards away from the rope.

Then a gorgeously dressed Kanaka — how gorgeously dressed you cannot imagine—comes to the hotel bar. As he is seen approaching, others rush out to meet him. They strike attitudes of astonished admiration, walk all round him just like the cassowary does round me, discuss each article of his attire, he beaming with flattered pride and consciousness. Then they look inside his purse—all just like children—link their arms in his, and lead him into the bar in triumph. This happens continually. They are merely happy, simple, amiable, attractive children. Attractive many of them are, for some are very good-looking, and have got very taking manners. When well treated they are happy people too.

It is curious, but all natives everywhere like a person like me who is amongst them doing nothing: I mean, that has no business or occupation with them, but is merely travelling and idling. What exactly it is that appeals to them I don’t know, but I imagine the idea of the thing to them is that you have attained what they consider must be an earthly paradise, and that you are some great rich chief above all need of work, or something of that sort. Here they say to me, “Oh, that man! He no good, he common man; he no gentleman like you”; or, “That man—he only ‘this or that’; he common man—no good.” They have their own ideas, and are very clever at seeing some things, though often very childish otherwise. One said to me about a well-known character on the island whom I did not see, Mrs. M‘Nulty not permitting it—

“That man—he no good. This what he do.”