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Beautiful Lagoon - Community of Property - Begging - Political ditto - Effect of Sun upon Scenery - Tipping -On the Track - Ambassador to America - Arrive at Falelatai - Palolo again - Return to Apia.

AT daybreak we sallied forth to try and pick up a duck or two in a lagoon some way to windward.

About a mile up the beach we came to a deep indent in the coast, and Joshua, one of our Samoans, having brought a canoe round, we embarked and paddled slowly up it. We soon reached a place where the dismal, fever-suggesting mangroves appeared to bar our progress; but passing round a gigantic one which acted as a blind for the entrance, we discovered a channel through which the water was sluggishly flowing seaward.

Paddling slowly up this narrow channel, with barely room to clear our outrigger, between two solid walls of dark olive-green mangroves of lugubrious aspect, with their bare roots gnarled and twisted, slimy with foetid mud, writhing like serpents in the direst agony, we passed along by no means impressed with the aspect of the first portion of our venture,

but which, however, served as a very effective preparation for the pleasant surprise awaiting us.

Having followed this odious gutter for quite a mile inland, we began to abuse Joshua for bringing us to such a beastly place, where nothing appeared likely to be got of any kind except perhaps a turn of swamp fever. He took our abuse in a most philosophical manner, and contented himself with merely pointing forward to what seemed to be an interminable stretch of the same sort of passage.

Soon, with a few strong strokes of the paddle, the canoe shot right out from the dark and dreary mangroves, in whose gloomy shade we had been so long journeying, into a beautiful little lagoon, just awaking into life with the young morning sun which, not yet risen clear of the tall trees to the eastward, threw across the whole basin a most weird light, adding a wonderful charm to one of the prettiest peeps that I ever saw.

An archipelago of miniature islands was dotted all over this miniature sea formed at the very base of the steep bush-clad hills rising abruptly from the waterlevel, and richly gilt with the new sun's glorious rays. It was indeed lovely. Dense billows of green of all shades appeared to be rolling from off the mountain's side and plunging into the placid waters, deep in whose bosom their reflection, faithfully preserved, made it impossible to determine where the verdure commenced or the waters ceased.

Silently paddling, threading our way tortuously between the flower-bespangled mimic islands in this fairy ocean, we passed through group after group equally beautiful, revelling in a sense of perfect contentment, and happy with a conscious yet undefined desire to pass dull life away in such surroundings.

A whirl of many hurried wings, and a bang, bang of a double-barrel from one of the party with an eye to the main chance, and disgracefully Philistine even in the face of a scene of such wondrous natural beauty, suddenly brought me down to a consideration of mundane affairs.

It was soon time to return, and the sun, now rapidly rising, was momentarily dispelling many of the charming effects presented to the eye when it was playing its first part in the beautiful panorama; so we again entered our gutter, reached the sea, had a bath, and breakfasted.

Feeling very comfortable in our quarters, and our bearers being anxious to remain another day, we put off continuing our journey until the morrow, and lounging about from house to house, whilst the sun was strong, we had a very good opportunity for studying the natives and some of their customs, and conversing with them on many matters both curious and interesting.

The community of property, especially of food, was most noticeable. Everything appeared to belong to everybody-that is, if it were asked for. If two natives meet in the street, one with food and the other without, they are sure to divide, let the quantity be ever so small-that is, if the one beg a portion from the other.

Amongst other curious Samoan customs is that of begging material for specific objects, and such applications are very rarely refused. There is no shame whatever felt about it; it is the custom of the country, and the persons solicited yield in obedience to that custom, and perhaps the very next week are at the same game themselves for some purpose or other.

This custom they extend at times to foreigners, but unless they are in some way connected with them they rarely do this. At its worst, however, it can hardly properly be termed begging in our acceptation of the term, for, from a Samoan point of view, a native, in begging anything that he may want, is only exercising a right that he might at any future time be required to accord to others.

This communistic custom is the greatest drawback to advancement in civilized industry in the country. It is a drag upon every attempt to raise the social condition of the natives. No sooner does one man successfully strike out an independent line of industry of his own, than down comes a swarm of his relations upon him, insisting, by all family ties and country customs, upon a division of the fruits of his labour. He is reduced at once to the common level from whence he was laboriously raising himself; and no one could, I am sure, blame such a man if he were to give up all ambition, and do no more work than sheer existence necessitated, in preference to working only to provide means for his friends to divide whenever they think there is a sufficient accumulation for a feast or some sort, of jollification. Even natives of the highest rank, when calling on casual visitors amongst Europeans, are not above begging some trifle or other from you, such as a piece of soap, some kerosene, tobacco-in fact anything that may chance to meet their eyes.

They are not particular, and don't mind in the least being refused, and if they can't get one thing will gallantly try for another, coming down at last, as they have frequently done with me, to a sheet of paper. All this soliciting is, however, made with the utmost politeness imaginable, and profusely interlarded with the most fulsome apologies for troubling, after which out comes the request. There is, however, amongst them begging and begging, one sort of which, nearly akin to impudence, I am happy to say, for the credit of a generally particularly decent race of people, exists only amongst the lowest class of natives. For instance, a woman one day came to my compound and begged permission to pluck an orange or two. Fancying that she only wanted a few to eat, I gave her the requested leave. She then went home, fetched a big basket and pole, and soon had as much fruit as she could well stagger under. This struck me as being a proceeding rather in excess of the original contract; but when, after handing over the plunder to a big buck who suddenly appeared on the scene to carry it off, she calmly strolled up to the house and suggested that I should give her half a dollar, or if that sum were not convenient, a shilling would be within fifty per cent as well, my steadfast faith in Samoan human nature began to waver.

One of the most curious systems of begging in vogue is that of soliciting political support. Supposing some great political movement to be in contemplation, and an important family or section of the community to refuse to join, or perhaps to waver about which side they will take in the approaching struggle; then the head-men of the new scheme will go to the abode of the people in question-that is, if their assistance is of some importance - and, sitting down in front of the principal house in the dust and sun, undergo every sort of humiliation known to Samoans. This they will endure sometimes for days, until at last they get some sort of promise from the family they have been boring so persistently. This proceeding very rarely fails to elicit some kind of favourable answer, as a flat refusal would be equivalent to proclamation of actual opposition measures; but what that almost forced promise is worth is soon known when the movement becomes an open one.

With the sun lowering, we sallied forth in search of duck to a lagoon we had heard of lower down the coast. At Sataua, a village close by, we fell in with an old boatman of G.'s who was about as reliable on a pinch in a boat as the generality of Samoans, who, from being as much at home in the water as on dry land, don't mind a capsize at all, so long as it is within a few miles of land.

This worthy paddled us up the lagoon we were in search of, which was like as two peas in character to the one we visited in the morning; but what a difference the time of day made in everything! There was the placid lake slumbering; but, oh, how oily it looked at the foot of the same steep hills! there were the islands gaudy with flowers, but all quivering in a blurred and languid manner in the damp miasmatic heat; there was the sun, but not the mild one of the beautiful lagoon; and where was the ardent desire to pass life away in such surroundings ? Nowhere; but there was a very strong one to go and shuffle off the mortal coil anywhere else.

The fierce sun, even now strong, had converted what under the same circumstances would have been a sister terrestrial paradise to the one we had so enjoyed in the morning, into as undesirable a location to pass one minute more than was strictly necessary in, as could well be imagined. The matutinal 'inexpressible, etc., etc., of contentment' was completely missing, and replaced by a very particularly emphasized general condemnation of the entire neighbourhood; in which not a moment's rest was to be had for mosquitoes of phenomenal boldness and venom, which tormented us without shadow of mercy, and kept us at fever-heat brushing them away.

Our olfactory senses were violently outraged by the continuous rising of odorous gases in bubbles, oozing from out of foetid black mud, at the low tide left simmering repulsively in the blazing sun. Each breath drawn was a poisonous effort, and even the eyesight suffered, being rendered giddy, painful, and dimmed in its effort to define the real shape of the surroundings, quivering and shivering, shaking indistinct and blurred in the superheated atmosphere rising from the red-hot swamp.

We were very glad to get out of this place, and to catch a view of the sea again to draw a comfortable breath. At the mouth of the river our boatman left us, instructing his wife in the most open manner in the world, as if we knew nothing of Samoan, to ferry us to Sanapu, a town farther on, and on no account to forget to squeeze something out of us; if not money, then to ask for tobacco.

We got back just in time for a bath before dark, attended as usual by many friends for a gossip in the water; had Kava, dinner, prayers, and cards, and then turned in.

We were up at daybreak next day, and after a cup of tea and a biscuit, got under weigh for Falelatai in the beautiful cool of the morning. Having nothing with us to present to our hostess, we smuggled a few dollars into her hand on bidding her adieu; and it closed upon them quite naturally, with that unconscious dexterity peculiar to the practised tippee.

This last is the most awkward performance one has to go through when travelling amongst natives. You need not give any present unless you like, but still the lady of the house, as a rule, will expect something, and in most cases it is really deserved, being merely a quid pro quo; for, do what you may, you will not be able to buy anything in the way of provisions whilst you are a guest at the village without the risk of insulting your host, who in some way or other has to pay for what he provides. I have, however, in many cases after having been sumptuously feasted for days, had my present returned me with a sort of sorrowful indignation, until I managed to reintroduce it under some less obtrusive guise. It is, of course, a very different matter with a big chief who has the right of putting the whole district under contribution for any purpose, and with a commoner who has to grow or purchase all he makes use of. In the latter case it is only right to pay for what one has, and not with some paltry gaudy gift, neither of any use to, nor appreciated by, the recipient - who, nevertheless, will accept it with thanks, as if it were really a full equivalent.

It is only experience that can teach one where to draw the line in such cases between fair return and prodigality, and establish a happy medium of contentment; for if you give too little you are put down as a mean man, and if too lavish you are marked in the Samoan memory as a fool, to say nothing of spoiling the market for people following in the same track.

For some time we plodded along on the loose sandy beach, a by no means pleasant style of progression; but by-and-by, a long black volcanic rocky promontory barring our way, we had to take to a somewhat inland bush-path, affording a grateful shelter from the sun, now beginning to become powerful.

Sauntering along on this cool and shady bushtrack, under the shelter of the wide-spreading

Barringtonias, catching occasionally a glimpse of the bright blue sea through their thick branches, and passing continually through grand, shore-fringing groves of cocoa-nuts, the road again for a little distance took to the beach across a beautiful little bay, a decided symphony in black, white, and blue; yet each colour of rock, sand, and sea was most distinctly outlined in sharp contrast with the other two.

Here we halted for a few minutes, and sending our boy up a tree for cocoa-nuts, were soon provided with the finest refreshment that ever thirsty tropical traveller could have. In spite of the intense heat the cocoa-nut milk was as cool as if it had been iced, whilst the partly-formed kernel supplied a quantity of a most tasty white jelly, very gratifying to the palate.

Immediately on leaving this we struck upon an elevated sort of causeway, evidently the work of human hands, built up above high-water level, of scoria and lava rocks. Our natives said that it was the work of the good and bad spirits who were in the islands before the missionaries came; but it is no doubt the work of the Tongans in days of yore.

Once again on the genuine bush-track, we passed through many small villages, where almost everyone appeared to be asleep; those who were not so, peering at us grinding along in the sun with a look of wonder at what they thought our misplaced energy.

We arrived at last at Lotofaga, from whence we should have to take to the hills to reach our destination. Here we met the renowned Mamea, who went to America and concluded a treaty which, with lofty scorn of the usual treaty processes, he ratified himself on the spot. He is a very fine specimen of a Samoan, and speaks English very well. His political history is always hinted at as being of a somewhat uncertain nature, but to my knowledge he is no worse than many of his friends. He has always had his weathereye open for an advantage, and having been rather more successful than his contemporaries, has earned their unfriendly judgement. Our bearers termed him 'the man who went to America and told lies.'

After a few words with him, we proceeded until we came to the extreme west of the bay, at the very base of the hills over which our road lay. All over this flat the vegetation was superb, of the most luxuriant description; some of the Tamu (a sort of giant lily) plants, with their enormous broad leaves, measured at least ten feet high, and every plant appeared in its strongest and rankest growth.

Although we had been rising gradually all the time, for at least an hour we did not reach the foot of the hills we had to cross; and when we did, we found before us the roughest piece of climbing we had had to tackle during the whole journey, and were glad when, after a desperate struggle, we found ourselves descending on the opposite side.

We arrived at Falelatai about dusk, and found a warm welcome from our friends of last month, who had been expecting us to turn up, but not in the toilsorne manner that we had taken to get at them; nor Would they understand that we preferred occasionally to travel on foot, when we had a boat to use if we liked. Taking unnecessary trouble over anything is not to be appreciated by any Samoan, any more than being in a hurry.

It was quite dark the next morning when our guardian angel called us to get up, and go out to the reef for the Palolo festival. It was also intensely cold, which we felt very much, having nothing but our linen clothes to wear. In the company of a dozen or more canoes, all bound on the same errand, off we started in a large taumualua for the scene of operations, the dame spot in the reef that we went to on our first visit.

As soon as the light would permit of a view, we inspected our company, which appeared to be pretty much the same as before, but by no means inclined to be so lively in disposition; the cold, I expect, having a somewhat sobering effect on the usual spirits of the crowd.

Spread all about the passage, this time quite smooth, we anxiously examined the water on all sides, in which to some depth nothing at all could be discerned; but suddenly, as if let loose at the one exact time, were to be seen wriggling and writhing up from the nethermost depths, millions upon millions of long thread-like worms of many colours, all seeming to be racing at their topmost speed to arrive at the surface and make the most of the short time permitted them for their annual exhibition. Up they came in myriads until the surface was thickly covered with one solid vermiculating mass of living animals.

Shouting and laughing, everyone now plied his or her scoop as busily as possible, baling up the writhing delicacies at top speed, to make as good use of the short time available as could be.

No sooner had the sun thrown his first ray on the water than as if by magic, with the same common accord with which they had risen to the surface, they all disappeared, sinking lower and lower to the depths below, until not a single sign of their presence was to be observed in the very spot where, a moment before, the water was perfectly muddy with animal life.

This time there was no going outside for us; we started for shore, about two miles off, with the rest of the fleet, but did not join them in their irrepressible joyous scamper for home.

Our share of these doubtful delicacies was three great pailsful of an almost solid mass of repulsive coloured worms, writhing and twisting about in slimy embrace, in anything but an inviting manner for creating an appetite.

This, however, did not prevent our young lady, and such of the crew as were not paddling, from indulging freely in them, by plunging small sticks into the wriggling mass, and swallowing with great gusto all that they could fish out hanging across them.

As soon as we arrived on shore, all hands set to work making the Palolo up into little parcels wrapped in banana-leaves, which, at the top speed of the messengers, were immediately sent off to their various friends, even to great distances all over the island, as highly valued and complimentary presents.

Although I tried to harden myself to tackle this forbidding-looking tit-bit au naturel with a piece of stick, I could not manage it; and our hosts, seeing the failure, had some cooked. In that state they were in appearance like balls of dark-green spinach, and by no means unpalatable, tasting somewhat like a mixture of oysters and seaweed.

After a bath and breakfast we started off for Apia, and leaving our baggage to go round by water under the care of our lovely chaperon, who was about to, pay a shopping visit to the metropolis, during which she had freely invited herself and her mother to our house, we set off across the inland track to Fasitootai, and very nearly breaking down about five miles from our destination, arrived at last in Apia.

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