"So you see, O man, I have sat in the high places, and worn the purple,
and ruled populations. And I might yet be a king had the tobacco held
out, or had Moosu been more fool and less knave. For he cast eyes upon
Esanetuk, eldest daughter to Tummasook, and I objected.

"'O brother,' he explained, 'thou hast seen fit to speak of introducing
new institutions amongst this people, and I have listened to thy words
and gained wisdom thereby. Thou rulest by the God-given right, and by
the God-given right I marry.'

"I noted that he 'brothered' me, and was angry and put my foot down. But
he fell back upon the people and made incantations for three days, in
which all hands joined; and then, speaking with the voice of God, he
decreed polygamy by divine fiat. But he was shrewd, for he limited the
number of wives by a property qualification, and because of which he,
above all men, was favoured by his wealth. Nor could I fail to admire,
though it was plain that power had turned his head, and he would not be
satisfied till all the power and all the wealth rested in his own hands.
So he became swollen with pride, forgot it was I that had placed him
there, and made preparations to destroy me.

"But it was interesting, for the beggar was working out in his own way an
evolution of primitive society. Now I, by virtue of the _hooch_
monopoly, drew a revenue in which I no longer permitted him to share. So
he meditated for a while and evolved a system of ecclesiastical taxation.
He laid tithes upon the people, harangued about fat firstlings and such
things, and twisted whatever twisted texts he had ever heard to serve his
purpose. Even this I bore in silence, but when he instituted what may be
likened to a graduated income-tax, I rebelled, and blindly, for this was