"Nature Men"

A Queer Influx in Tahiti

Prom Our Own Correspondent.

Papeete, Apr. 20.

YEARS ago, at nightfall, a point of light would appear far up the mountain side which overlooks Papeete.

Nightly we would glance up to see if it were there, for it was the beacon which told us that Darling, the Nature Man, was safe and well.

Darling came from the United States and was reputed to be a graduate of one of the great universities. His man ner of speech rather confirmed this rumour; but no one took the trouble to pry into his antecedents. All we knew was that he had come ashore from some ship, taken up land high up on the mountain, and proposed to live a life of primitive simplicity.

At his aerie he built a hut, levelled a section of ground where he planted banana, papaia, umera and other food plants, dug a swimming pool (supplied by a rill issuing from a spring higher up) went about in the costume of Adam, and wrote long articles for the health and physical culture magazines.

The natives marvelled at his temerit ,T in braving alone the Tunapau (p-hostsl and Poivi (skeletons animated by evil spirits) which inhabit the mountains at night; and thev fullv expected that sooner or later the famous old Tuputu pua (evil demon from the night world) who is reputed to dwell alternately in

Marae Taumeha, on the plateau of Punaauia, and Marae Ivirau, on the plateau of Papenoo, and travels from one to the other, in the form of a ball of fire, along the mountain face at the level of Darling’s plantation, would tear him limb from limb and devour him.

But Darling was not superstitious and, if he ever saw the peripatetic evil spirit (the ball of fire is actually seen from 'time to time) he probably explained it as Ignis Fatuus, or ball lightning; as, no doubt, it is.

Frequently, he descended to the town.

On one occasion, and once only, he came clad in as nearly a state of nature as decency would permit.

But those were the days before men and women, adorned only with a fig leaf and a smile, could parade the highways of Papeete, without being hustled into custody; and Darling was hastily covered with a blanket, sent home, and w T arned not to repeat the offence.

His articles in the physical culture journals soon started a migration to Tahiti of nudists and lovers of the primi tive life. In the course of time the island became populous with nature men. They did not gather into a colony; but distributed themselves singly at various lonely places in the island.

During a number of years this immi gration continued and then, suddenly, ceased.

Darling, first of all, departed and went to Fiji; where he lived for some time and eventually died, it is said, of tuberculosis.

After his departure the other nature men gradually drifted away until there are now not more than two or three tucked away in remote districts on Taiarapu (the peninsula) or on Moorea.