The Foot of Time: A Novel of Australia and the South Seas: (1933)

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206 THE FOOT OF TIME
handful alone of Tuamontians remained, from
which (with their freedom of marriage restrictions)
to re-people that supposed Eden.
The display started off with a twenty-eight shilling
rocket, fired by Bruce himself from the deck
of the launch.
Florence sat with the chief, Mangani, and his
family, and, in con junction with Bruce (who held
a duplicated programme with her) , Miss Tooth
not only prophesied what next would follow, but
even went so far as to order it! The effect upon the
credulous minds of the natives was absolute. Pointing
skywards, Florence, in solemn tones, would
command fire to rise to heaven and descend in a
shower of golden, fiery rain. And it was so. But
what perhaps made their departure the following
morning more secure, was effected with the moral
help of a twenty shilling firework "bomb." It resembled
a cricket ball, and was lit on shore by the
medium of a three-foot fuse. All the natives were
enjoined to stand away from it. The appalling detonation
seemed to shake the very earth, and this
was followed by the sailors and Bruce igniting near
the natives, squatting on their haunches on the seashore,
fully thirty squibs. The devil devils did not
belie their name. Run where they might, be sure
some devil or another would send out one of its
explosions near them, before, with the concussion,
hurling itself on to other victims. And the climax.
A but composed of dry fern growth had been
erected near the sea front, to which the devil devil
ship's cannon would "speak." The natives were in-
THE FOOT OF TIME 207
formed that so it would befall every but on every
island in the South Seas if the will of the white
man be not obeyed. That the range of the little
brass god was more than restricted never entered
their heads. The gun, previously tested with blank,
was primed with an incendiary miniature shell.
Bruce fired it. The shell hit the improvised hut,
which burst into flames. So ended the proceedings.
Dancing followed all night. The natives never tired
till the streaks of dawn gave them excuse for cessation.
The parting of Bruce from Molota and her
babe was not marked by grief on either side. Molota
just held the child up to him to be admired for
the last time. A very last time, as it turned out,
so unspeakably and so frightfully can influenza
scourge the f air islands of the South Seas. The
launch set course for Fungi.
"So," remarked Florence to Bruce. "So! You lied
to me, young man. You were forced into your
disastrous marriage, forced against your will, forced
against your intention. You shielded the girl. Don't
tell me. I know everything."
"Anyhow, I fell, Miss Tooth."
"Don't call me Miss Tooth; I'm your Aunt."
"I wish to God you were!" said the boy.
"Come, now, that's better, boy. Of course you
fell. Fell, fiddlesticks! What do you call yourself?
A half-baked Chinese doll? Heavens, boy,
the girl was downright lovely!"
"Yes, Aunt," replied the penitent.
"There, boy. It was noble of you not to excuse
yourself. You had every excuse. Do you hear me?