Barbarian as he was, he was quite astute enough to guess that Europeans cared nothing in their hearts for all his mumbo-jumbo.

He believed in it himself, but they did not, and their very unbelief made him respect and fear them.
"Now that we two are alone," he said, glancing carelessly around him, "we two who are gods, and know the world well--we two who see everything in heaven or earth--there is no need for concealment--we may talk as plainly as we will with one another.

Come, tell me the truth! The new white man has seen you ?" "He has seen me, yes, certainly," the Frenchman admitted, taking a keen look deep into the savage's cunning eyes.
"Does he speak your language--the language of birds ?" Tu-Kila-Kila asked once more, with insinuating cunning.

"I have heard that the sailing gods are of many languages.

Are you and he of one speech or two?
Aliens, or countrymen ?" "He speaks my language as he speaks Polynesian," the Frenchman replied, keeping his eye firmly fixed on his doubtful guest, "but it is not his own.