[ HOME ]

Good Work for a Philanthropist -Official Botheration - Pressing a Princess - Start Across the Island - Bush Track - Monkeydom - Ready-made Board-tree - Tongan Traces - Malietoa - Difficult Descent - Pigeons' Playground - Arrive at Lotofaga.

I WAS, indeed, sorry to have to refuse the advisership, for I can imagine no more interesting or useful work than that of organizing in civilized ways and government a docile and intellectual people like the Samoans, to whom I had already taken an immense liking; but in my position it could not be.

The natives have seen, for many years, white after white advising them, and striving lay lies and deceit to thrust themselves into some position of authority amongst them, in order to use it, when granted, for the purpose of robbing them.

On their specious talk and false representations, the natives had employed some of them, thinking in their simplicity that with such assistance they would be enabled to rise from out of the social confusion that seemed to increase the more they mixed with foreigners, and from which they despaired of ever emerging without some foreign help.

They had seen, also, each foreigner whom they had employed take their dollars on the most flimsy pretexts, and. finally fade away in turn, leaving them in a worse condition than before.

Samoans would very quickly realize the difference between such cattle and the man who would unselfishly be working amongst them.

Petty white intrigue would very quickly disappear, as the natives would see that such a man was not working for the sake of their dollars or land, and would trust in a Government so advised, instead of opposing a general settlement with any little scheme they could think of, or that white intrigue could invent for them.

In spite of what I could say, they would not realize that I had honestly declined their service, for I was the first white that had done this extraordinary thing.

Their experience showed them that their greatest trouble had ever been to keep foreigners out from taking up Government positions amongst them, whether they wanted them or not; that white volunteer Premiers, Land- Commissioners, Chief Justices, Treasurers-the latter especially-were to be had for the asking, and that they could fill these positions four-deep any day they pleased; yet here was a man who refused to come to them and revel in the glory of all these titles, although, as they thought, he had been commanded to do so by his great chief.

Old Tekori was again after me this morning on the subject, and arriving about breakfast-time, was induced to sit down and join us. On rising, the old gentleman, after fumbling in his lava-lava for some time, produced a half-dollar, which he very solemnly laid down on the table and turned to go; but he was, of course, stopped, and made to take it up again. I don't know where he had been breakfasting last, but he told us that was what he had done at some other places.

In a few days he was down again on the same errand as before, which now had become very annoying; but I did not show my vexation to the old man, knowing that parliament was meeting and that they were honestly discussing the situation. Whilst he was in the house a country visitor arrived, who brought with him a present of Kava-root.

The etiquette on such occasions is to have it immediately made up into a brew, and to discuss it for the entertainment of the visitor; but having no girl on the premises to chew it, we were about to apologize for the seeming want of good manners, when Tekori, seeing our quandary, went out on the veranda and ordered in the first girl he saw passing, a right, no matter whom she may be or what errand she may be on, that may be exercised by any Samoan chief.

Our catch was of no less exalted rank than that of Princess Royal; but even so being, she could not refuse, and was soon squatted, Kava-bowl in front of her, philosophically ruminating the root that cheers the dusky Samoan, and but seldom intoxicates him; and when she had finished her work, a few thanks and a stick of tobacco sent her on her way rejoicing.

I really thought that by this time I had made it quite clear to the most obtuse native alive, that I declined to take up their billet. But the first thing this morning, before I was out of my bed, the King's chief man came with a message from his Majesty, who wanted to know the reason why I refused to come to him, and to beg me to reconsider my decision. I tried to explain, but, getting on very badly without an interpreter, I postponed the meeting to some future time, when I would finally expound all my reasons before them with the aid of an efficient exponent of their language.

At five o'clock this morning, the 11th November, G. and myself packed up a change or two, and set out, accompanied by a black New Hebrides boy, ' Caesar,' obtained at the price of seventy-five dollars through the German firm who import such for plantation work in their labour-traders, and two Samoans to carry our things. We were, in reality, again bound for Falelatai; but wishing to see some more of the country and gain Samoan experience, we arranged to walk right across the island, to follow the opposite coast round the west end, and passing through Falelatai-where we hoped to be in time for the certain arrival of the Palolo-from thence along the south coast, home.

It was a beautiful morning when we took to the track in the lightest possible marching order. The dew was thick on the grass, the air was deliciously cool, and being aware that it would not be so for long, we put our best legs forward to get over as much ground as possible while the temperature was comfortable.

When we came to Vai-usu we pulled up for our bearers, who, of course, had lagged behind to finish a gossip.

On their arrival we struck off inland by a bushtrack pointing right over the range until we came to Suisega, where the path rose very abruptly, and finished upon a small plateau, from whence a beautiful view of the flat land east and west could be obtained, with the sea stretching out to the horizon in one placid sheet of turquoise blue. Behind rose the steep hills directly over which our path lay. The track was now level for some way, and as we passed along beneath the lofty trees we saw many signs, in the shape of old stone walls, of former occupation. Although now out of the immediate rays of the sun, the heat became oppressive and of the most trying kind-namely, moist heat-and soon I was in a complete bath of perspiration. Arriving at a bunch of cocoa-nut trees we sent Caesar up to procure some. He deliberately walked right up the tree some sixty feet or so, and threw down some nuts which were most deliciously cool and refreshing.

I never saw an apparently easier performance than Caesar's climbing, nor one that put me more in mind of monkeydom, for the boy, a very good and amiable one out of his own country, where he is professionally a cannibal, was ugly enough to put to shame any gorilla.

As we got higher, so changed the character of what may be termed the minor bush, the larger trees remaining just of the same kind as on the lower levels; and scattered now on all sides, in the protecting shade of their giant companions, were to be seen the gracefully drooping fern trees-which put me in mind of many a stroll in old New Zealand-and other plants not common to the region of the flats below; whilst every now and then Indian scenery would be brought to the memory by thickets of bamboo, in the vicinity of which the ground was invariably to be found swampy.

Hundreds of handsome plants, with very luxuriant parti-coloured foliage helped to make up, most harmoniously, a really beautiful bush; whilst every here and there the flowers of the scarlet and white hibiscus relieved with grand effect what some people might take to be the too severe monotony of the green.

The larger trees were of many kinds, but all described as useful. I am ignorant of their names, but one of the most noticeable is a tree somewhat resembling the chestnut, throwing out to some yards from its main trunk flat buttresses of an even thickness throughout. This is the wonderful tree which travellers have reported, without belief, as growing ready-made boards, and such is really the case.

Wild -ginger and arrowroot in profusion, together with tapioca, indigo, and other plants without number, of sorts and properties unknown, formed the pleasing foliage of the parterre through which we were passing.

We continued rising the whole time until about midday; at the foot of a very steep incline, apparently bearing some traces of man's handiwork, we halted for a rest and a meal. A pretty little stream meandered chatteringly round the base of the steep ascent before us, then taking its busy course in the most gentle declivity obtainable down the side of the hill, to join its larger companions in the gullies below.

We were soon stretched at full length in its deliciously cool embrace, and after washing off as much of the travel-stains as would permit us to rest in comfort, we proceeded to lighten the load of our bearers. Having had nothing but a biscuit and a cup of coffee, and been climbing all the time since five o'clock, a slice of roast-beef, washed down with a bottle of' lager, cooled in the brook at the same time as ourselves, went high, as our transatlantic cousins would say.

Whilst resting I tried to catch some craw-fish, with which our grateful little river swarmed, but was unsuccessful. Their presence showed plainly that this stream was no freak of a rainy season, but a permanent institution.

Ready again in about an hour, we started up the almost perpendicular incline in front of us. On arriving at the top we found evident traces of a parapet and ditch, no doubt the work in days of old of the Tongans, who, at one time held almost entire possession of Samoa, and portions of whose handiwork in fortifications and roads may be met with all over the island of Upolu. They were at last driven out of the island by a doughty warrior, who finally compelled them to embark in their canoes to return home: before leaving the shore the Tongans generously expressed their admiration of the deeds of daring of their conqueror by shouting out, 'Malie Toa,' which being translated means, 'Well done, good -fighting-cock;' and this was the origin of the family name of the present King Malietoa.

Severe as the last pull was, it brought us to the summit of the range. This passed, the descent began to the south side of the island, and all the way from here the path was most difficult, the country being very irregular, and intersected by a great many mountain streams. Only able to see a few yard's in any direction, it appeared as though we were journeying down a spur of the main chain, descending at right angIes to it occasionalIv making a steep plunge downwards only to rise proportionately a little.farther on, evidently in so doing crossing from one spur to another.

Sometimes the path led just on the verge of a precipitous gully, at the bottom of which we could hear the drowsy hum of falling water, but see nothing but what must have been the tops of the trees far below us. Now and then we could get a peep of reasonable extent. When gazing down far in these depths, upon these same tree-tops spread out below us like a carpet, it was most curious to observe the pigeons in quantities playing about on what appeared to be a flat and solid surface, through which every now and then they would mysteriously dive and disappear.

Every successive spur seemed to be the last, but of course was not; and being thoroughly wet through with perspiration, and tired, as a natural consequence we got very sulky. The people who planned the road came in for any amount of abuse; they seemed to have put it over every available stone and root in the country, and to have enjoyed a fiendish delight in taking it as close to every dangerously precipitous and useless gully as they well could without tumbling down it.

At last we got to a long spur with no better path, but which eventually led us down to a broadish shallow river, crossing which, after going about half a mile through native plantations of all descriptions, we arrived at Lotofaga, very tired and very cross.

Going straight to the bathing-place, we soon forgot all our woes in a most gratifying dip, surrounded by a bevy of dusky maidens of a most inquisitive turn of mind, who, all speaking at once, gave us no peace until they knew all about our business.

By the time we had nicely cooled down and somewhat recruited both our tempers and fatigue, the bearers, who had, as Samoans, taken matters more coolly than ourselves, had arrived with our clean things, as soon, as we had donned which we started off for the chiefs house. A bowl of Kava, feed, gossip, and a game of cards with the two daughters of the house, and o1T we went to sleep, thoroughly tired, on a pile of soft mats, under a mosquito-net spread for us by our kind hostess, intending to start for Falelatai early the next morning to do the Palolo and pass two days.

PREVIOUS CHAPTER NEXT CHAPTER