She had no
enemies except Ching Po--for reasons unknown; and she paid her
occasional respects to any and all religions that Naapu boasted. When
there was a row, she was always, of course, on the European side; though
she would stretch a point now and then in favor of the native
constabulary.
So much for French Eva--who was by no means so important in the Naapu
scheme of things as my long description may imply. She had her eminently
respectable, her perfectly recognized niche, and we all bought eggs and
fish of her when we could. She was a curious figure, to be sure; but you
must remember that on Naapu every one, nearly, was unaverage, if not
abnormal. Even the agents and officials were apt to be the least
promising of their kind--or they would have been somewhere else. It was
a beautiful refuge for utter bounders and men who, though not bounders,
had a very low limit of achievement. The jetsam of officialdom was
washed up on that lonely, lovely shore. The magnates of Naapu were not
to be trusted. Naapu was a rich island, the richest of its group; and,
being off the main lines of traffic, was an excellent field for the
unscrupulous. Tourists did not bother us, for tourists do not like
eighty-ton schooners; maps did not particularly insist upon us; we were
well known in places where it was profitable to know us, and not much
talked about anywhere.
Pages:
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239