Islands far away; Fijian pictures with pen and brush . cess and permission was joy-fully granted. My companion took the solid little bundle in her arms, andI proceeded there and then to work. The Queen came behindme and watched every stroke with the greatest interest, andI could hear satisfied little ejaculations as the likeness graduallyappeared on the paper. The prime minister also watchedfrom a little distance. The King divided his time betweenamusing his little daughter and coming to see how the picturewas getting on, and in sometimes taking the little burdenhimself for a while. He said he
Islands far away; Fijian pictures with pen and brush . cess and permission was joy-fully granted. My companion took the solid little bundle in her arms, andI proceeded there and then to work. The Queen came behindme and watched every stroke with the greatest interest, andI could hear satisfied little ejaculations as the likeness graduallyappeared on the paper. The prime minister also watchedfrom a little distance. The King divided his time betweenamusing his little daughter and coming to see how the picturewas getting on, and in sometimes taking the little burdenhimself for a while. He said he had some letters he must getoff by the mail, and he tried two or three times to go andwrite them, but he was always irresistibly drawn back to thethrone room and the picture, and once, when it was necessary 240 Islands Far Away. for the little princess to go to the nurse, the King carried heroff himself. I never before painted a picture with a king,and a Queen and a Prime Minister, looking on. The hkeness was considered excellent, and the King wrote. Mm rC:^ immm THE KING OF TONGA WITH HIS BABY. on my sketch the Httle ladys name and the date both of herbirth and of the painting of the portrait. I promised to makea copy of it for himself as soon as I could, but he begged menot to be long, so I painted it on the Atua and posted it fromSydney, getting a delighted acknowledgment in return. The Kjng we were told was concerned at his stoutness, andto keep down his figure he went every week to one of the other The King of the Friendly Isles. 241 islands where, throwing off his uniform, in slight native dress,he vigorously dug and planted yams and taro, and all the younggallants of the court felt obliged to go with him and followhis example, but they did not relish it.* * King George Tubou II, died in April, 1918, and has been succeeded by hisdaughter by his first wife. King Georges queen, his second wife, also died inNovember, 1918, in the terrible epidemic of influenza which decimat
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, bookidislandsfaraw, bookyear1921
