White Shadows in the South Seas

1   
The coral atolls of the
South Pacific .... for
happy centuries the
last remnant of an 
earthly paradise ....

2
Islets "fresh from the
  touch of God" ....

3
Memories that lingered 
from the Morning of 
   Creation ....

4
But the white man, in his 
greedy trek across the
planet, cast his withering 
shadow over these islands
.... and the business of
"civilizing" them to his
 interests began ....

5
Today - - the results 
 of "civilization".

6
"Mr. Sebastian - -"

7
"Makia is outside - -
he has a big pearl to
        sell."

8
"I'll give you three 
dollars for it ... dam'
      good pay!"

9
"Yes, Makia, you'll always 
   find me a fair and 
   generous trader -"

10
"Catch me a bigger pearl 
next time, and I'll give 
  you an alarm clock!"

11
A derelict of the 
 Seven Seas ....

12
"I was sure it wasn't in 
your heart to - - refuse 
      me a drink!"

13
"You ought to be ashamed 
of yourself, Doc - you're
a disgrace to the white
        race - -"

14
"When I see what my race
has done to these natives
here, I am ashamed - -
ashamed of being white!"

15
"Just what do you mean 
       by that?"

16
"What has the mighty 
white race done to
these people - except
cheat, rob, and exploit 
      them - ?"

17
"You've wrecked their
bodies diving for your
pearls .... given them
your diseases ... doomed
them to extermination!"

18
Bursting veins .... caused
   by sudden change of 
        pressure!

19
  The peril of the ocean 
bed ... giant, jagged-edged
           clams!

20
.... and Devils of the Deep ...
  huge .... slimy .... deadly!

21
Collapsing lungs ....
 another toll of the
  mighty pressure.

22
"See! Old Naku and
his son Kata ... another
example of your pretty 
        work!"

23
"Get back to work --
all of you - - what 
am I paying you for?"

24
"Keep out of this, you 
big-mouthed native
coddler - - these
islanders are working 
      for me!"

25
"Don't you see? The poor
fellow's lungs collapsed -
     diving for you!"

26
  "Savvy this! From now
   on these islands are
    goin' to be mighty
unhealthy for you .... so
        blow -"

27
.... the ordeal lasted
far into the night ....

28
    "My son is dead? Now
   no more sons have I ....
all .... all are dead .... the
          same way!"

29
"Civilization! - God - !"

30
 A strange ship - -
and something strange
   the matter - -

31
"Shipload of sick men,
Doc - measles picked
 up in Shantung -"

32
"The Doc's gone on
out. He didn't ask 
  no questions."

33
"Here's your pearl ....
  and don't you ask 
    no questions!"

34
"This is bubonic plague ...
not measles! You'll have 
   to burn the boat!"

35
"Sure .... everyone dead!
Ain't that funny? But
we ain't goin' to burn 
       no boat!"

36
Days in .... days out ....
days of sun and slimy 
calm .... days of hot and
     savage wind ....

37
.... and then the night belt
of the endless Pacific ....
   toward the uncharted 
  bottom of the world ....
        TYPHOON!

38
 White flesh! Never 
before had anything so 
strange been seen -

39
Lomi-lomi - "cocoanut oil
pressed by the fingers and
  drawn out by the sun"
 - the secret and sacred
 massage of Polynesia - -

40
"The white god must lie
still .... soon Fayaway will
 take away all the ache 
  from his bones ...."

41
Great events in all climes
are celebrated by feasting ...
and when a god visits man,
sea and earth must give of
their choicest foods ....

42
Every finger and every 
hand were busied now ...

43
    A toothsome hors
d'oeuvre .... baby octopi
        salad ....

44
Spinach a la Polynesia ....

45
Breadfruit .... the staff 
 of South Sea life ....

46
Now man's friend, fire,
  was conjured ....

47
A pit of red-hot stones
was banked with plantain
      leaves ....

48
While the sun climbed 
down from the sky and 
sank into the sea, the
 great feast cooked.

49
Bivalve .... crustacean ....
plantain .... pomelo ....
carp .... crawfish .... crab ....
baked happily together ...

50
  The feasters were 
summoned .... the tribe
of Mehevi came forth
in smiling homage to
    the god ....

51
  The Dancer of Ceremonious
Welcome .... official Starter
         of Feasts.

52
His name was
Kekelafaufaupaopao - -
"Man with Legs Like
Exploding Eggs".

53
"Fayaway is tapau ....
the virgin bride of 
 the temple ...."

54
"Not even a god may
look at her with eyes
of love .... until the
  tapau is lifted!"

55
"Can you not see that
grief is deep in my 
heart .... that I did not 
        know?"

56
"It is forgiven!"

57
Nights filled with flower 
scents .... days warmed by
the sun .... and the world-
  worn soul of Matthew 
  Lloyd grew new again.

58
Romance .... Love .... they
  seemed to be everywhere
   on this island Mother
     Earth forgot ....

59
"It is our flower of
 love, white god -"

60
"There is calamity! The
signal speaks ... the sea
       has killed!"

61
"My brother .... the only
     man-child of my
father .... will laugh no
          more?"

62
"White god .... you have
given life back to my 
son. You may look with 
eyes of love upon my
      daughter."

63
"- the temple tapau
     is lifted!"

64
So Matthew Lloyd, in their
simple tongue, became Matta
Loa .... a chieftain worthy
of the temple's bride, and
each dusk closed a day in
       Paradise ....

65
"These shells are pretty ...
   what do you do with 
          them?"

66
"From them, oh Matta
Loa, are fish hooks 
       made."

67
Pearls! He was only a
white man, after all -
no god - and the instinct
of his ruthless race was
     his - Greed!

68
So across the sun of 
this Paradise crept
 the first White
   Shadow ....

69
"The breadfruit is sweet 
tonight, daughter ....
  come and eat ...."

70
"Nay, father .... I seek
      Matta Loa ...."

71
"These many days he 
has acted strangely ....
secretly he paddles 
the lagoon ... diving for
       pearls."

72
"He fashions no fish-hooks
from shells .... he finds
   them to throw them 
        away ...."

73
  "What does my Matta 
Loa think of .... that his
   eyes are troubled?"

74
"Why does Matta Loa
no longer make with
his lips ... the sound of
     the birds?"

75
Yet he was only a white
man - - no god - -
He held in his palm the
world and its kisses .... so
what mattered Paradise?

76
"Ships! Ships! Where are 
you? I have pearls - -
pearls for the world!"

77
"Matta Loa makes the
fire so that his gods may 
see .... and take him 
        away?"

78
"Forgive Matta Loa ....
his gods have put bad
thoughts in his head ...."

79
"My heart .... many hearts
are sad .... does Matta
  Loa no longer love
       Fayaway?"

80
"Matta Loa will always 
love Fayaway .... he has 
been mad .... but is mad 
     no longer - -"

81
"Stay away, you ships ....
stay in your cursed 
world .... leave us in 
        peace!"

82
So the White Shadow 
passed .... or so it 
    seemed ....

83
.... but White Shadows
    never pass ....

84
"Mehevi .... Mehevi ...."

85
"Go forth and see -"

86
  "Stay back! This is an 
evil boat ... it will bring 
         you woe!"

87
"There's the mountain 
we seen the fire on 
    last night."

88
  "You are many Matta 
Loas .... our chief loves
white gods .... he will
     welcome you!"

89
"Lower the boats - -
I've just seen something!"

90
"Me give you nice tick-
tock ... you give me little 
     oyster bead?"

91
"Don't let them land ....
if you want to stay 
       happy!"

92
"But they are all Matta 
Loas .... white gods like 
         you!"

93
"You don't understand ....
many white gods are bad!"

94
"Well, if it ain't the 
 ghost of gabby old 
     Doc Lloyd!"

95
"No ghost, Sebastian -
  but a man who has 
     found life!"

96
  "Life with the natives,
eh? .... Doc Lloyd .... the
     natives' friend!"

97
"For God's sake, go away,
Sebastian .... these people
are like birds .... like
      flowers ...."

98
".... they are like man 
was before he lost the 
 Garden of Eden ...."

99
"You give me the cramps, 
Doc .... always did .... and
      always will!"

100
"You've spread enough 
horror .... you're going 
to leave this one place 
      untouched!"

101
"I'm opening a store here 
tomorrow .... then we'll 
start a little pearl-diving 
        party!"

102
"You'll open no store!"

103
"Don't you know they've 
  never heard a gun?
Why didn't you knife 
      the fool?"

104
"We welcomed them with 
our hearts .... they have 
    given us death."

105
"See that cocoanut 
grove? We'll put our 
   store there!"

106
White Shadows ....
   White Shadows ....

The End