The Bottle Imp

There was a man ofthe Island ofHawaii, whom 1 shall call

Keawe; for the truth is, he still lives, and his name must be

kept secret; but the place of his birth was not far from

Honaunau, where the bones of Keawe the Great lie hidden

in a cave. This man was poor, brave, and active; he could

read and write like a schoolmaster; he was a first-rate

mariner besides, sailed for some time in the island

steamers, and steered a whale boat on the Hamakua coast.

At length it came in Keawe's mind to have a sight of the

great world and foreign cities, and he shipped on a vessel

bound to San Francisco.

This is a fine town, with a fine harbour, and rich people un-

countable; and, in particular, there is one hill which is

covered with palaces. Upon this hill Keawe was one day

taking a walk with his pocket full of money, viewing the

great houses upon either hand with pleasure. 'What fine

houses these are!' he was thinking, 'and how happy must

those people be who dwell in them, and take no care for the

Bottle Imp: small devil living in the bottle.



whom: relative pronoun usedas objectand with prepositions, it's

not very often used in informal English, where who is usually

used.

hidden: put or kept in a secret place.

cave: large cavity in a rock or in a mountain. brave: courageous.

first-rate: very good; excellent.

besides: moreover; in addition to that.

steamers: ships driven by steam engines. steered: guided.

At length: eventually. to have a sight: to see; to visit.

shipped: travelled aboard a ship. vessel: ship; boat.

bound to: going towards. Nowadays bound for is more common.

harbour: protected port.

uncountable: innumerable; impossible to count.

covered with: note the usage ofthe the prepositionwith. Upon:

on. taking a walk: walking: strolling. viewing: observing.

upon either hand: on both sides. Note the use ofthe singular with

eitherand ofthe pluralwithboth. must: modalverb here meaning

logical deduction. dwell: live.