Argosy All-Story Weekly, October 25, 1924 — page 85: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

KAKAUA THE UNCONQUERED. They framed the full-page portrait of La Besse and hung it in the bureau with the words “ Illustrious—Valiant — Deceased ” below it, and as they waited to hear from Paradou the face of La Besse looked upon them. Upon his arrival at Moturoa the brave Paradou had fully recovered from his sea- sickness and he was glad. He had been beautifully sick. The cruiser’s doctor de- clared that in all his experience he had never known a human being to be so enor- mously ill as Paradou was, and he wrote a brochure on Paradou, beginning “ The most amazing case of mal-de-mer in my ex- tended experience was that of Monsieur > The interest in Paradou hardly abated with his seasickness. When he emerged from his berth to sit in a cane chair on the deck he was flabby, so flabby that he hung in folds. And then a new interest in Paradou arose as he began to eat. He ate enormously. He ate continuously. He ate twenty meals a day and lunched be- tween meals. As he ate he grew. At first he could not button his indigo-blue coat; then the coat would not meet in front by a decimeter; then it would not meet by a meter. “He is a wonderful being,” declared the captain. ‘‘ Life in the navy would not be so bad after all, my friends, if we could al- ways carry a Paradou.” Sitting in his cane chair on the forward gun deck. Paradou practiced shooting with a rifle. He shot at porpoises; he shot at flying fish. Two marines loaded his rifles and handed them to him, and Paradou, quite unassisted, pulled the trigger. “4 bas, Kakaua, take that!” he would cry as he pulled the trigger, or “ Zut! Ha! Dog of a Kakaua, this is a Paradou, not one of your La Besses!” When the two gunboats joined the cruiser at Nukahiva the brave Paradou became braver than ever. He fired the rapid-fire gun on the bow of the cruiser without flinching. He walked up and down the deck like an upright hippopotamus with his right hand in the bosom of his shirt and frowned as he planned campaigns for the destruction of the unconquered Kakaua. 70 When he was joined by the captain he ques- tioned him concerning Moturoa and Ka- kaua. There in the South Seas, as the little flotilla neared the distant Moturoa, the name “ Ka-ka-oo-a” fell from Para- dou’s tongue as often as “la guerre” and “un bock, garcon!” had fallen from it in dear Paris. And the brave Paradou told the captain about Moturoa and Kakaua, because, as a matter of fact, the captain knew little or nothing of them. He had never seen Moturoa. Outside the atoll that guards Moturoa the cruiser dropped anchor and fired a blank to call the isle to attention, for the chart showed that neither the cruiser nor the gunboats could risk the narrow en- trance to the lagoon. ‘““It seems to be less inhabited than I had supposed,” said Paradou anxiously. “The metropolis of my island, if that is it, is not extensive.” After a time the flag of France on the flagpole ashore dipped and rose again. “We are observed,” announced the cap- tain. ‘“ You are ready to go ashore? Every- thing is prepared for transport? Sixteen trunks, thirty-seven boxes, twelve cases of rifles, eighteen cases of wine, one hundred cartons of ammunition?” “T have checked them personally,” said Paradou. “The boats are being lowered. I, my brave governor general, shall go ashore with you with an escort. One can never tell!” “It will be best,” agreed Paradou. “ As a matter of fact, my captain, I do not precisely like the looks of things as seen through these binoculars. Why do I not see the native troops drawn up to receive their new governor general as they should receive him? Why is the populace so lack- ing in number?” “Let us admit that it looks Serious,” re- marked the captain. “To my way of thinking,” said Para- dou, “ it looks fout a’tout serious! It looks condemnably serious!” “T grasp your thought—Kakaua—”’ “Has raided!” said Paradou. ‘“ With no La Besse and no Paradou he has worked his savage will.” “The thought is hideous! If this has COmMicloooks (C@