Pâkia

by Louis Becke

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Pages: 9

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About this book

The sleeping village gives way to an evening of conversation beside the lagoon at Nukufetau. A trader and his friend Temana spread their mats on the beach, where the elderly Pâkia joins them. Tobacco and a shared drink encourage him to talk about his travels, his family and the island customs he remembers. His jokes can turn abruptly into complaints about church rules and the changes that trouble him.

Louis Becke gives this short story the shape of a long conversation, with the sounds of the turning tide around its speakers. Pâkia recalls whaling in bitter southern seas, swimming ashore at Tonga after a quarrel, and later serving an English merchant at Amboyna. The strength of his younger days troubles him as much as the restrictions of the present.

About the author

Louis Becke

Louis Becke was an Australian short-story writer and novelist whose years as a trader and traveler in the Pacific supplied much of his subject matter. Born George Lewis Becke in Port Macquarie, he went to sea young, worked in Samoa and Micronesia, survived shipwreck, and later turned those experiences into fiction.

More by Louis Becke

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Book facts

Author: Louis Becke
Reading time: About 20 minutes
Pages: 9
Language: English
Genre: Nautical and Sea Stories
Formats: PDF, EPUB, Read online