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I was still standing at the port when Dr. Hamilton entered.

“Sit down, my boy,” he said. His eyes were moist as he looked at me. “I persuaded Captain Edwards to consent to this meeting. My intentions were of the best, but I didn’t realize how cruel a trial it would be for all of you.”

“I can speak for Stewart as well as for myself, sir. We are deeply grateful to you.”

“Would you mind telling me your wife’s name?”

“Tehani. She is the niece of Vehiatua, the chief of Taiarapu.”

“She is a noble woman, Mr. Byam. I was greatly impressed by her dignity and poise. I don’t mind confessing that my ideas of the Indian women have altered greatly, now that I have seen them. My conception had been gained from the stories about them that circulate in England. I had supposed them all wanton little creatures without character or depth of feeling. I see more clearly every day how mistaken this conception was. We call these people savages! I realize now that in many respects we are the savages, not they.”