A CABIN IN THE SUBURBS.
"Thereby hangs a tale," replied the Doctor, "or rather a great deal of conjecture. Some ethnographers think the islands of Polynesia were peopled from the Malay Peninsula and Archipelago, while others think they were peopled from Japan. Advocates of either theory have a great number of arguments in its support. We haven't time to go over the list; and even if we did we should not be able to settle the question. The theory that the inhabitants of the Sandwich and Society islands came originally from Japan is supported by the use in their languages of the prefix O (signifying "honorable") exactly as it is used in Japan. As the Japanese say O-yama (honorable mountain), so the Hawaiians say O-wyhee, and the Tahitians O-taheite.
"Many Japanese sports, such as archery, wrestling, boxing, spear-throwing, and slinging stones, were in vogue in some of the islands at the time of their discovery; they are rapidly passing away as the people become civilized, and in another generation or two will hardly be heard of. In their language they are nearer like the Malay than the Japanese; that they are of Malay origin is very clearly proven, but exactly how they came here it is not likely we shall ever know."
While this conversation was going on the yacht was visited by a custom-house official, who took the declaration of the captain as to her nationality and name, and her object in visiting Tahiti, and then returned to shore. Our friends followed him, and in a very short time were pressing their feet against the solid earth of Papéiti. For an account of what they saw we will again refer to Fred's journal.
"You cannot see much of Papéiti from anywhere," said Fred, "because of the great numbers of trees that grow in and around the place. Here they are: bread-fruit, hibiscus, cocoa-palms, and half a dozen other varieties, so that nearly every house is hid from view until you are close upon it. The row of shops and cafés near the water is an exception to the rule; they are like the same kind of establishments everywhere in a French colony, and reveal the nationality of the place at a glance.
THE COAST IN A STORM.
"There are mountains in every direction excepting towards the sea, and through a gorge at the back of the town a particularly fine mountain is visible. Most of the houses are only one story in height, especially in the outskirts, where the well-to-do residents have their villas. In the town there are a few two or three storied buildings, belonging to the foreign merchants or used for Government purposes; but these are exceptions to the general aversion to stair-ways. Land is so cheap here that everybody ought to have plenty of room.
"The names of the streets make us think of Paris. The principal one is the Rue de Rivoli, and there we find the hotels, shops, and cafés, or rather the most of them. On the Rue do Commerce are the warehouses, where goods and provisions are stored; and the Rue de Pologne, which is the widest and best shaded of all, is mainly given up to the Chinese for shops and tea-houses. The Chinaman has taken root here, and flourishes; every year the Chinese hold upon business increases, and some of the French residents advocate the expulsion of the Mongolians, through fear that they will soon have a monopoly of the commerce of the islands.