explain that the natives of the Tokelau Group, among whom I had lived,
through constantly chewing the tough drupes of the fruit of the _fala_
(pandanus palm) wear out their teeth prematurely, and are sometimes
termed "toothless" by other natives of the South Pacific. However, I was
to have my own little joke at Viliamu's expense later on.

Just at this time a sudden squall, accompanied by torrents of rain, came
down upon us from the eastward, and whilst Marèko and his boys kept us
head to wind--none of the canoes were anchored--I took the opportunity
of getting ready two of my own lines, each treble-hooked, for the boys.
Their own were old and rotten, and had parted so often that they were
now too short to be of use, and, besides that, the few remaining hooks
of soft wire were too small. As soon as the squall was over I showed
Marèko what I had done. He nodded and smiled, but said I should try and
break off the barbs--his boys did not understand them as well as
native-made hooks. This was quickly accomplished with a heavy knife, and
the youngsters began to haul up fish two and three at a time at such a
rate that the canoe soon became deep in the water outside and very full
inside.

"A few more, Marèko," I said, "and then we'll go ashore, unload, and
come back again. I want to tease that old man."

We caught all we could possibly carry in another quarter of an hour, and
I was confident that our take exceeded that of any other canoe. This was
because the natives would carefully watch their stone sinkers descend,
and use every care to keep them from being entangled in the coral,
whilst my line, which had a 12 oz. leaden sinker, would plump quickly to
the bottom in the midst of the hungry fish; consequently, although I
lost some hooks by fouling and now and then dragged up a bunch of coral,