“Is it well with my wife, O friends?” he asked.
“It is well with her,” they answered; “in a little while we will take you to her, but first let us tell thee of that which has befallen her on this island.”
Then they told him.
“One day after the warship had gone,” they said, “there came here a trading schooner from Niuafou. On the ship were Tepuaka, the King of Niuafou—the father of thy wife—and many of his men. And with him there came also the little fat white man named Opataia [Obadiah]. All those men that came with Tepuaka, the King, were lotu[Christians]. No sooner did they land, than Tepuaka and his friend, the fat little white man, Opataia, walked to the house of his daughter, thy wife, Tui, but all of his men he bade remain here in the village.
“'See,' said one of these men of Niuafou to us vauntingly, 'see what has come to pass! Tuilagi refused to take for her husband the good and pious man Opataia, but fled with this common white man, who is no better than a heathen. And then what comes? This bad white man is caught by his countrymen and put in a prison with chains upon his body. So now the King comes for his daughter, for even now is Opataia willing to take her, though she is but of little worth, to my mind.'
“While they spoke thus to us, Tepuaka and his white friend had gone to thy house, and there did Tui, thy wife, meet them with smiles to hide what lay in her heart.
“'Get thee ready, thou wicked woman,' said her father roughly to her; 'get thee ready quickly to leave this heathen land and return to thy own country, where thou shalt be wife to this good man, Opataia, who desires thee still.'
“'It is well, my father,' said Tui; 'but yet leave us now for a little. Surely if this man desires me for his house he can speak to me with his own mouth, and not through thine.'
“So her father went without the house, and Opataia, the white man, remained with Tui.
“Then said the evil-faced white man to Tui: 'For the wrong that thou did'st me by running away with that evil white man do I forgive thee, for I love thee well.' And then he put his arms about her, and sought to embrace her after the manner of a lover.