I lay on a mat, and, after the American had laved me with the liniment, the Paumotuan, a Konito elder, massaged me for an hour, during which grievous process I fell asleep, and woke after dark when the “reasonable service” was beginning.
The people were ranged under the immense roof in orderly ranks, the Tahitians being in one knot. Both the American elders were upon a platform, surrounded by the native elders, who aided in the conduct of the program, which was in Paumotuan. The Paumotuan language is a dialect closely allied to the Maori, which includes the Tahitian, Hawaiian, Marquesan, New Zealand, Samoan, and other island tongues. The Paumotuan was crossed with a strange tongue, the origin of which was not fixed, but which might be the remains of an Aino or negroid race found in the Paumotus by the first Polynesian immigrants. Tahitians easily understood the Paumotuans, though many words were different, and there were many variations in pronunciation and usage. The Tahitians had been living closely with Europeans for a hundred years, and their language had become a mere shadow of its past form. The Paumotuan had remained more primitive, for the Paumotuan was a savage when the Tahitians were the most cultivated race of the South Seas; not with a culture of our kind, but yet with elaborated ceremonials, religious and civil, ranks of nobility, drama, oratory, and wit.
It being the conclusion of the grand annual meeting of the Josephites, a summing up of the business condition of the sect in these waters was the principal item. Elders Kidd and Imbel stressed dependence of the Almighty upon his apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors, and of these called-of-God men upon the francs collected at such gatherings as this.
Both the divines spoke earnestly, and mentioned Jehovah and Joseph Smith many times, with Aarona, Timoteo, Pauro, and other figures from the Scriptures. They struck the pulpit when they spoke of the Mormoni, and the faces of the congregation took on expressions of holy disdain.
Somewhat like the modern preacher of the larger cities, the elders strove to entertain as well as instruct, edify, and command their flock. They proposed a charade or riddle, which they said was of very ancient origin, and perhaps had been told in the time of the Master’s sojourn among men. They spoke it very slowly and carefully and repeated it several times, so that it was thoroughly understood by all:
He walked on earth,
He talked on earth,
He reproved man for his sin;
He is not in earth,
He is not in heaven,