The Confessions of a Beachcomber

Table of Contents

DEDICATION

PART I

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER I

THE BEACHCOMBER’S DOMAIN — OFFICIAL LANDING — OUR ISLAND — EARLY HISTORY — SATELLITES AND NEIGHBOURS — PLANS AND PERFORMANCES

CHAPTER II

BEACHCOMBING — TROPICAL INDUSTRIES — SOME DIFFERENCES — ISLAND FAUNA

CHAPTER III

BIRDS AND THEIR RIGHTS — A CENSUS — THE DAYBREAK FUGUE — THE MEGAPODE — SWAMP PHEASANT — BULLY, SWAGGERER, SWASHBUCKLER — EYES AFLAME — THE NESTFUL TREE — WHITE NUTMEG PIGEON — FRUIT-EATERS — AUSTRALIA’S HUMMING-BIRD — THE FLAME-TREE’S VISITORS — RED-LETTER BIRDS — CASUAL AND UNPRECISE

CHAPTER IV

GARDEN OF CORAL — QUEER FISH — THE WARTY GHOUL — BURRA-REE — FOUR THOUSAND LIKE ONE — THE BAILER SHELL — A RIVAL TO THE OYSTER — SHARKS AND SKIPPERS — GORGEOUS AND CURIOUS — TURTLE GENERALLY — THE MERMAID OF TO-DAY — BECHE-DE-MER

CHAPTER V

THE TYRANNY OF CLOTHES — SINGLE-HANDEDNESS — A BUTTERFLY REVERIE — THE SERPENT BEGUILED — ADVENTURE WITH A CROCODILE — THE ARABS PRECEPT

CHAPTER VI

IN PRAISE OF THE PAPAW — THE CONQUERING TREE — THE UMBRELLA-TREE — THE GENUINE UPAS-TREE — THE CREEPING PALM — MAUVE, GREEN AND GREY — STEALTHY MURDERERS — TREE GROG

CHAPTER VII

A TRAGEDY IN YELLOW — COLOUR EFFECTS — MUSICAL FROGS — ACTS WELL ITS PART — GREEN-ANT CORDIAL — WOOING WITH WINGS — THE GREED OF THE SNAKE — A SWALLOWING FEAT

PART II

STONE AGE FOLKS

CHAPTER I

PASSING AWAY — TURTLE AND SUCKERS — A “KUMMAORIE” — WEATHER DISTURBERS — A DINNER-PARTY — BLACK ART — A POISONOUS FOOD — MESSAGE-STICKS — HOOKS OF PEARL — WILD DYNAMITE — A CAVERN AND ITS LEGEND — A SOULFUL DANCE — A SONG WITHOUT WORDS — ORIGIN OF THE SOUTHERN CROSS — CROCODILE CATCHING — SUICIDE BY CROCODILE — DISAPPEARANCE OF BLACKS

CHAPTER II

GEORGE: A MIXED CHARACTER — YAB-OO-RAGOO, OTHERWISE “MICKIE” — TOM: HIS WIVES—HIS BATTLES — THE LANGUAGE TEST — LAST OF THE LINE

CHAPTER III

ATTRIBUTES AND ANECDOTES — COMMON AND INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS — THE “DEBIL-DEBIL” — CLOTHING SUPERFLUOUS — BROTHER AND SISTER — THE RAINBOW — SWIMMING FEATS — SMOKE SIGNALS — THUNDER FACTORY — THE ORACLE — A REAL LETTER — A BLACK DEGENERATE — JUMPED AT A CONCLUSION — PRIDE OF RACE — MYALL’S BAKING — EVERYTHING FOR A NAME — THE KNIGHTLY GROWTH — HONOUR AND GLORY — FIRE JUMP UP — SLOP TEETH — A FASCINATED BOY — AWKWARD CROSS-EXAMINATION — THE ONLY ROCK — SAW THE JOKE — ZEBRA’S VANITY — LAURA’S TRAITS — ROYAL BLANKETS — HIS DAILY BREAD — HUMAN NATURE — AN APT RETORT — MISSIS’S TROUSERS — DULL-WITTED — STRATEGY — LITERAL TRUTH — MAGIC THAT DID NOT WORK — ANTI-CLIMAX — LITTLE FELLA CREEK SAILOR — A FATEFUL BARGAIN — EXCUSABLE BIAS — THE TRIAL SCENE — A REFLECTION ON THE HORSE — TRIUMPH OF MATTER OVER MIND — THE RUSE THAT FAILED — THE BIG WORD — MICKIE’S VERSION — HONOURABLE JOHNNY — THE TRANSFORMATION — MONEY-MAKING TRICK — HONOURABLE CHASTISEMENT — PARADISE

CHAPTER IV

AND THIS OUR LIFE