They evidently admired the boy, just as a farmer or butcher may admire a calf. For they prodded him with their little fat forefingers, then laughed scornfully and shook their heads.
"He not much meat," said the younger queen, in English. She had been captured by the recruiters, when a mere child, and carried to Queensland, but was sent back in a few years to her own wild island.
"I'm no good to eat at all, your lovely majesty."
"In three weeks' time, though," she smiled.
Then Kep's food was brought, his hands were freed, and Gobolohlo's queens screamed with laughter to behold him eat so heartily, which on this occasion he really did, to please them.
He was ordered to sit down till they should study him a little longer.
He really appeared to afford great fun to their majesties.
But when he took out his piccolo, and begun to breathe his griefs and sorrows into that, their mirth changed into pensive melancholy. They listened enraptured. He changed his tune, and turned on the sailor's hornpipe. They were all smiles once more, and giving the attendants a sign, they withdrew, and in about half an hour the hall was nearly filled with dancing flower-adorned cannibal maidens.
It was a strange wild scene, and stranger from the fact, that in this case, youth and beauty was dressed in nothing else save flowers and feathers.
At the end of the ball, the younger queen rushed forward and saluted Kep, by rubbing her nose against his.
"You good, good, goodee boy," she cried. "For tree week you play to me, den----"
"I lub you so much den, dat I eatee you. Plenty ob kava and spice--Yum! yum!"
"This is something to look forward to, with a vengeance," said Kep to himself.
The next two days and evenings, passed in much the same way.
Their majesties had been told of the capture of their united husband, but it didn't affect them a great deal.
"Pah!" the younger said, "Gobolohlo good king, but he not make plenty good meat fo' de Bleetish mans ob war."
But the very next day, Boona, the younger queen, seemed very sad, and after the boy had done piping, she came and squatted beside him.
"You too good foh kill. All same to-mollow you be kill and eat."
This was certainly somewhat disquieting news, and he naturally wanted to know why this change of plans had come about.