‘Sail, ho! Ahoy! Casco,
First among the pleasure fleet
That came around to greet
These isles from San Francisco,
And first, too; only one
Among the literary men
That this way has ever been—
Welcome, then, to Stevenson.
Please not offended be
At this little notice
Of the Casco, Captain Otis,
With the novelist’s family.
Avoir une voyage magnifical
Is our wish sincere,
That you’ll have from here
Allant sur la Grande Pacifical.’
But our chief visitor was one Mapiao, a great Tahuku—which seems to mean priest, wizard, tattooer, practiser of any art, or, in a word, esoteric person—and a man famed for his eloquence on public occasions and witty talk in private. His first appearance was typical of the man. He came down clamorous to the eastern landing, where the surf was running ver
