The Madman and the Pirate | Page 2

proceeding caused the natives to receive him
with less violence than before. Their curiosity led them to listen to what
he had to say. Then a chief named Tomeo took him by the shoulders,
placed his nose against that of Waroonga and rubbed it. This being
equivalent to a friendly shake of the hand, the missionary signalled to
his friends in the boat to go away, which they accordingly did, and left
their courageous brother to his fate.
It is not our purpose to recount the whole history of this good man's
enterprise. Let it suffice to say that the natives of Ratinga turned round,
childlike--and they were little more than grown up children--swallowed
all he had to say and did all he bid them do--or nearly all, for of course
there were a few self-willed characters among them who objected at
first to the wholesale changes that Waroonga introduced in their
manners and customs. In the course of a few months they formally
embraced Christianity, burned their idols, and solemnly promised that
if any more unfortunate ships or boats chanced to be wrecked on their
shores they would refrain from eating the mariners. Thus much
accomplished, Waroonga, in the joy of his heart, launched a canoe, and
with some of his converts went off to headquarters to fetch his wife. He

fetched her, and she fetched a fat little brown female baby along with
her. Missionaries to the Southern seas, as is well known, endeavour to
impress on converts the propriety, not to say decency, of a moderate
amount of clothing. Mrs. Waroonga--who had been named Betsy--was
therefore presented to the astonished natives of Ratinga in a short calico
gown of sunflower pattern with a flounce at the bottom, a bright yellow
neckerchief, and a coal-scuttle bonnet, which quivered somewhat in
consequence of being too large and of slender build. Decency and
propriety not being recognised, apparently, among infants, the brown
baby--who had been named Zariffa at baptism--landed in what may be
styled Adamite costume.
Then Waroonga built himself a bamboo house, and set up a school.
Soon after that he induced a half Italian, half Spanish sailor, named
Antonio Zeppa, who had been bred in England, to settle with his wife
and son on the island, and take charge of the school.
For this post Zeppa and his wife were well qualified, both having
received an education beyond that usually given to persons in their rank
of life. Besides this, Antonio Zeppa had a gigantic frame, a genial
disposition, and a spirit of humility, or rather childlike simplicity,
which went far to ingratiate him with the savages.
After several years' residence in this field of labour, Waroonga
conceived the grand idea of building a house of God. It was to be built
of coral-rock, cemented together with coral-lime!
Now, it was while the good people of Ratinga were in the first fervour
of this new enterprise, that the dinghy with its three occupants
approached their shore.
At that particular point of time the walls of the new church had begun
to rise above the foundations, for the chief, Tomeo, had entered into the
matter with intense enthusiasm, and as Tomeo was supreme chief,
every one else felt bound to follow his example and work hard; but, to
do them justice, they required no stimulant; the whole community
entered into it with inexpressible glee.

Zeppa taught them everything, because no one else knew anything,
except of course Waroonga, who, however, was not much in advance
of his native congregation save in spiritual matters. Zeppa showed them
how to burn lime out of the coral-rock, and they gazed with
open-eyed--and open-mouthed wonder at the process. Then the great
chief Tomeo gave the word to burn lime, and Buttchee, the chief
second in command, backed him up by kicking the native nearest to his
foot and echoing the order, "Go, burn lime!" The entire population
began to burn lime forthwith, and would have gone on burning lime
enough to have built a South Sea pyramid equal to Cheops, if they had
not been checked and their blazing energies turned into stone-hewing
and dressing, and other channels.
Thus the work went on merrily, and so engrossed were they with it that
they did not at first observe the arrival of the visitors. Of course they
were aware of the schooner's presence, and had been off to her the
previous day, before she had furled her sails, to offer fruits and
vegetables; but it was some time before they discovered that three
strangers had landed and were gazing at them while they toiled.
Zeppa had a black servant, a negro, whom he had induced to follow
him. This man took a prominent oversight of the works. He was by
nature a cook, but church-building occupied