“O Le Langi,” said I, “I feel sure that the gods have no more faithful servant.”
Lifting his hand aloft as he stared seawards to hide the embarrassment he felt over my praise, he continued:
_’Tis I, O Le Langi, who maker children faithful: I preach on sly to all little ones and old chiefs and chiefesses. I tell them wonders of shadowland as the evening falls. The fantoes creeper from huts doors and kneel at my feets and listen and listen! Some nights I go down, down in great caves of Underworld! A longer way I go, till I at lasse come to big ’nother world. It shine ’neath ’nother big sky of blue and red stars. I sit on small star and great god Tangalora sit on his throne by the big moon, and he say: “Halloa! great O Le Langi, what you wanter?” Then I says: “Show me ole chiefs who die, and all dead peoples.” Great Tangalora say: “O Le Langi—look!” He have lift big veil of Night, quick!—I stare and see Beautiful country of mighty trees and fruits, Big moonlit seas dashing by shore of bright Atua; I see my dead tribe dancing, waving arms, singing, singing to heathen land stars! Then big shadow hand of god Tangalora move and drop big veil of Night— And I no longer in Underworld._
“But what became of that old crab?” said I, as the old chief looked about him and seemed to have forgotten the commencement of his story.
_Ah me, Papalagi, the old crab look up and say: “Halloa! O Le Langi, you been in Underworld?” And then I say “Yes.” And then crab say: “Did you ’appen to see beautiful Linger Loa, whom I once love mucher, she who once my wife?” Then I look at crab and say: “Why, yes! I did see Linger Loa! and she say to me: ‘Have you see old crab on shores by Savaii Isle?’ And I say: ‘Yes!’ And then she say, as she beat bosom liker this (here the chief punched his breast vigorously),_
_‘O great O Le Langi, when you nex see the old crab, you tell him I still lover him much; And tell him that, when ten thousand moons have passed away, He once more be turn to chief by gods, and so Will come back to arms of poor Linger Loa who longer see ’im.’”_
“And what did the old crab say to all that, O Le Langi?” said I.
_Ah me! The great chief-crab looker up at me with sad eyes. Then he sigh and walk sideways down to sea, And, shedding tears, plunged into the deep water._