This chapter explores the local politics of the Hawaiians. We also learn that one can pray their enemy to death. Native Hawaiians adapt New England clothing to their own needs. Mark provides a listing of the political heirarchy.
Sketches New and Old is the fifth book in the Oxford Mark Twain collection, published in 1875. It contains material written from between 1863 and 1875 some of which can also be found in a book Twain did not favor, The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County and Other Sketches. This includes the title sketch "in English. Then in French. Then clawed back into civilized language once more by patient, unremunerated toil". I, as SLCLemens in Second Life, have recorded readings from this book, produced slide shows of same and published them on YouTube or other service.
GENTLEMEN: I am glad, indeed, to assist in welcoming the distinguished guest of this occasion to a city whose fame as an insurance center has extended to all lands, and given us the name of being a quadruple band of brothers working sweetly hand in hand—the Colt's Arms Company making the destruction of our race easy and convenient, our life insurance citizens paying for the victims when they pass away, Mr. Batterson perpetuating their memory with his stately monuments, and our fire-insurance comrades taking care of their hereafter.
Girls on horseback, the making and eating of poi, and how to classify strangers in Hawaii. Also, perhaps one of Twain's worse puns.
The tale of King Kamehameha I battle to take Oahu from the Oahuans and how the great field of bones was created. We also learn of the habits of Kanaka horse traders.
On Mark's third day on Oahu he saddles up on a horse of the same name and visits an ancient Hawaiian temple. This leads him to make comparisons with changes wrought by missionaries. Much of this chapter is the subject of a short sketch Twain had previously published in his Jumping Frog book, Oahu.
Twain arrives in the Sandwich Islands and makes land at Honolulu. He finds that it compares favorably to San Francisco but discovers a few characteristics that he needs to be careful about regarding the flora and fauna.
N
This begins the final portion of Roughing It. Mark has taken ship to Hawaii aboard the Ajax. We are introduced to one of Twain's favorite foils, the boisterous and profane inventor of histories, the old Admiral. This retired whaleman is friend always to the underdog. And, originally being a Union man, he became a secessionist the moment the Southern army began to fail. On this particular voyage the Admiral meets his match and is vanquished by another inventor of history, a soft spoken individual named Williams.
Mark takes a post on a Tennessee journal. The rather boisterous nature of the relations between the journals subjects and it's editor are a bit too much for him.
This is actually the second version of this sketch. It was first published in the Jumping Frog of Calaveras County book. This one has better sound quality.
Where there are no women or children a man will take up a pet. In this case a sagacious cat named Tom Quartz.
I've gone back to producing slide shows rather than Second Life animation.