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“English, I think, will survive in the end,” Young replied. “Men like Mills and Quintal and Williams have a fair smattering of the Indian tongue, but they will never be able to speak it well. It interests me to observe how readily some of the women are acquiring English. Brown’s woman and that girl of Mills’s are surprisingly fluent in it, even now.”

“Do you find that you sometimes think in Tahitian?”

“Frequently. We are being made over here quite as much as the Indians themselves.”

“I feel encouraged, Ned, sincerely hopeful,” Christian remarked presently. “Concerning the future, I mean. The men are adjusting themselves surprisingly well to the life here. Don’t you think so?”

“Yes, they are.”

“If we can keep them busy and their minds occupied ... For the present there is little danger. That will come later when we’ve finished house-building and are well settled.”

“Let’s not anticipate.”

“No, we shan’t borrow our troubles, but we must be prepared for them. Have you noticed any friction between ourselves and the Indian men?”