When John stopped, the curious figure, who was designated as the Chief, moved forward toward John without a bit of hesitation, and the boys were simply dumbfounded at his singular appearance, and at the gait he a.s.sumed.
A word picture of him would not be amiss. He was a hunchback, with an extraordinary lump on his back, the arms much too long for his body, and crooked, distorted legs. The head, however, was ma.s.sive, and covered with a heavy beard, which seemed to grow close up to the eyes, giving him a fierce appearance, because his head was covered with a thick coating of long gray, or sandy hair, that swung around the darker beard, as he shambled along.
As he neared John his bright and staring eyes were the first thing noticed. When he came across the intervening s.p.a.ce, his face was stern, and unforbidding, but as he neared John it relaxed, and he began to smile.
John stepped forward, and extended his hand. "I am glad to meet you,"
said John.
The man looked at John for a moment, and then tried to mumble something, that the boys could not understand. After a few attempts he fairly shrieked out: "How are you?"
This was certainly a startling thing, because the voice and the intonation were perfect. John opened his jacket and brought out a miniature American flag, which was unrolled, and the moment the strange being caught sight of it he seized it and pressing it to his lips, kissed it fervently.
"I am an American," he finally struggled to utter. "I am a white man, and you are the first white man I have seen for fifty years. You are welcome to our home and village."
The boys could not credit their senses. How did this poor specimen of the white race become the powerful Chief of a tribe of savage cannibals?
John looked at him for a moment in astonishment, as he asked: "How long have you been Chief of the people here?"
"About forty-five years. They are good people too."
"We heard you were cannibals," remarked John.
For a moment he scowled, and then his face brightened up. "Yes; I know my neighbors to the south have always believed that to be so, but they have heard such tales from their witch doctors, such as we used to have, but it is not true."
"You mean the Korinos?"
"Yes, those who left you two days ago, and have come to me for protection," and he smiled as he said this.
"I tried to get them, but they eluded us," added John, by way of information.
"You must pardon me, but it is still a little difficult for me to form sentences. It is so long since I have talked to any one in my native tongue. But I am impolite. Bring your people into the village, and let us entertain you. I do so want to hear about the great world and what it is now like."
The Chief turned to his people and told them that the White Chief was from his own tribe, and that he came from a far-away country, on a visit to him, and that they must treat the people as his own.
Nothing more was needed to make them welcome. George suggested to John that Stut on the _Pioneer_ should be notified, but before they had time to carry out the order a number of the villagers came rushing through the village and sought out the Chief.
The latter turned to John and said: "My people tell me that there is a large ship here."
"It is the vessel we came in," answered John, "and we were about to send a messenger to tell them to anchor near the village."
"I am so happy to know this," said the Chief. "I want to see the ship, because it is the first time that any one has stopped at our sh.o.r.es.
Some years ago we found some strange things that floated ash.o.r.e from a wrecked vessel, and I want to show them to you, because I cannot understand what some of the things could be used for."
They were led through the princ.i.p.al street of the town. It was clean and well kept; the huts were far better than those in the village they had left, and the natives were, apparently, happy and contented.
As they marched along George was the first to notice a tall individual, who, with several others, were edging away from the visitors.
"There they are!" he cried out. John turned to inquire, when Harry commenced laughing, as he added: "Here are the Korinos, John!"
The latter looked in the direction indicated, and laughed when he saw their discomfiture. The Chief was hurriedly informed of the situation, and he laughed heartily, as he ordered one of his men to bring in the fugitives.
They were ushered in, and Uraso told them that they were friends and not enemies, and that the White Chief tried to secure them so that their own Chief would not harm them. It was a great relief, unquestionably, and their actions showed it. John then told them, that he wanted to have a talk with them, and that he would a.s.sure them of their safety.
CHAPTER XI
THE HUNCHBACK CHIEF
The White Chief"s house was built on a plan which was a vast improvement over anything found on the two islands. True, it was nothing but an a.s.semblage of rooms, which surrounded an open court. The furnishings were crude, but it was evident that all the articles were such as had been taken from the wreckages on the sh.o.r.e.
Goods not native made, were noticed, and even a photograph, on a tin plate, like the old style daguerreotypes, was observed by Harry. Three chairs, one with a broken rocker, formed part of the furnishings in the court. In one corner was a ma.s.s of articles, the case of a ship"s chronometer, the horn of a phonograph, some tin tubes of different lengths, and other odds and ends, which could not be recognized.
"I am anxious to hear your story," said John. "If you have no objection we should be glad to have you relate it."
"It will give me pleasure to tell of my experiences, although it may not interest you; but before doing so you must partake of food, because I know what it means to travel through our country. Besides I have ordered it prepared, and it is now ready."
[Ill.u.s.tration: "_"It is copper," said John_" [See p. 122]]
"These two men I have with me," said John, pointing to Uraso and Muro, "are Chiefs of two powerful tribes, who live on a neighboring island, and they are real friends I found there when these two boys and I were shipwrecked there several years ago."
"I am, indeed, glad to welcome them. I see that they have adopted the white man"s clothing."
"Yes; and their people who are wonderfully interesting are engaged in farming, and manufacturing."
Then John told him briefly the history of their experiences, and how the people on Wonder Island were working out their salvation.
John"s tale impressed him most forcefully. "You have made good use of your talents. Unfortunately, for me, and for the natives here, I was not able wholly to bring out the people from their low condition, as you will be able to understand more fully when the story is told." He said this sorrowfully, and with apparent regret.
After the meal, he continued his narrative: "I was a poor boy, a native of the State of Ma.s.sachusetts, and was bound to a whaler as a helper, when less than fifteen years of age. It was a hard life, as you may know. I had no education, and I learned the life of misery and sorrow when I should have been at school.
"But during that and the second year I became hardened, and my unfortunate physical condition made me the b.u.t.t of my companions, and one day, in a fit of resentment, I struck down one of my tormentors, while in the harbor of Bedford, after which I escaped and made my way to Boston.
"There, the next day, I found employment on an outgoing ship, that was in the China service, and two days later, I was gratified to learn that it would sail that night. I had a much easier berth, and now I found that among those men I was considered better than a mere brute, and I became acquainted with a young man who taught me to read.
"This was such a delight to me that I could hardly wait until my daily duties were over, before the books were brought out, and by the time we put into Shanghai, I could read and write, as well as perform many examples in arithmetic.
"I knew nothing of geography, or of any other of the necessary parts of education. Our outward trip was unexciting, but on the first return trip, we met one of the dangerous monsoons, and the ship was wrecked.
One of my shipmates was the sole occupant of a spar, and he aided me in my attempt to grasp it, and together we floated about the great sea for several days, without a thing to eat or to drink, until I lost consciousness, and knew no more until I opened my eyes, and saw the vilest looking savages standing about me.
"When I saw them they appeared like a horrid dream. I had read in one of the books about the terrible visions that men dream of, and when they tried to make me eat something, I began to feel that it was a reality.
"But the men were naked, and I saw the bones of human beings about me, and everything had the appearance of a feast. I soon saw that they were cannibals, and as I had heard of their practices their faces grew more and more repulsive to me.
"I recovered slowly, and now began the terror in my mind. Each day I expected would be my last. But day after day pa.s.sed by, and I soon began to become reconciled to my fate. An incident soon changed the entire aspect of affairs for me. I had been treated with the utmost deference.
I was furnished with an abundance of food, but I had previously learned that it was the custom of those people to fatten their victims, and this was not welcome knowledge.