The bark, Legerdemain from Penzance, England, bound to Sydney, Australia, sailed from San Francisco early in May, and no incident occurred to mar our voyage till one night when some five degrees south of the Equator the ship struck a coral reef, tearing off a part of her sheathing and planking, and making her a total wreck.

She was forced so high upon the reef that we were safe for the time being, and when morning came we cut away her masts and with them and her yards made a strong raft. Taking this and two boats with water, provisions, and blankets, we set sail in a southwesterly direction toward the Samoan or Navigator Islands. On the fourth day we saw land, and a volunteer crew in the dingy ran ahead, leaving the longboat to tow the raft. The distance was greater than we had anticipated, and night overtook us while still in our boat. Eagerly next morning we sought the shore, but a reef of coral through which we could find no passage prevented us from landing, and though we searched all day, we were unable to find a safe opening, and the second night was passed on the ocean. We felt alarmed that neither the longboat nor the raft had yet reached us, but knew that it would be folly to go in search of them.

The following morning we determined to attempt reaching the shore at one point where a stream of fresh water emptied into the sea. As we drew near the spot there shot out from behind a point of cocoanut palms thirteen canoes filled with savages. They quickly surrounded us, brandishing their war clubs, spears, and paddles, and made efforts to drive us ashore.

We at once pulled away from the dangerous locality, but the natives pursued, and at last five or six of them sprang into the water and swam to our boat into which they attempted to climb. The second mate, who was in charge of the dingy, stopped this by catching the first man and throwing him head first back into the water. They now began to parley with us, and held up some raw fish and sugarcane. We offered in exchange some tobacco and pieces of iron, the only things we had except our blankets. The iron was accepted, and we obtained a large bundle of the cane. We now pulled out to sea, but were followed for several miles by the natives.

A canoe with a single occupant continued long after the others had turned back, so we waited for the islander to overtake us. To our surprise he spoke English, and told us that when a boy he had been carried by some missionaries to one of the Samoan Islands, where he learned to speak English. He added that he was one of the chiefs on the island we had just visited, and that if we would return with him he would answer for our safety and furnish us all the food we desired.

We consulted together and agreed to go back, but with the wind against us, it was impossible to make any headway, and we were therefore compelled to abandon this plan. The native now found himself in the same position as ourselves, and as he could not return he made best of it and came on board our boat, though he shed tears of grief at being carried away from his family and home. On being told that we would sail to the same islands where he had been taken years before, he recovered his spirits, and was of much aid and assistance to us during the months that followed. On the sixth day we again saw land, but found it almost a barren spot when we went ashore. After a long and careful search our native found water in a cave, and here for one day we rested and refreshed ourselves.

Next morning we again launched our boat, and sailed for seven days in a southwesterly direction ere we saw another island. We watched eagerly for sight of inhabitants and were greatly rejoiced when at last we saw some natives on a high point near the shore. As this island, like the one from which we had been driven, was surrounded by coral reef, it was with pleasure that we held two natives put off from the shore and come out through one of the narrow and tortuous passages.

As they approached us, our native addressed them in the Samoan tongue, to which they at once replied, saying some French missionaries and an American trader lived upon the island, and that the trader had sent them out to show us the way through the opening in the reef. The mate of the boat told the native to tell them how we had been treated at one island, and asked that the white man come off in a canoe so that we might not be decieved. The mean paddled away, but soon returned with the white trader who welcomed us to the island.

On reaching the shore we were met by nearly the whole population of the village and were picked up boat and all and carried high upon the beach. We were taken to the house of the chief, where our story was related by the trader, who then took us to his own home and supplied all our necessities. After a stay here of some days we obtained passage in a small schooner owned and manned by a native crew, and after a short voyage were landed upon the island of Upolu, one of the Samoan group. We hoped, in time, to reach the coast of Australia, but many months passed ere a vessel touched at this island, and during this time we became fully initiated into life in Samoa.

Upolu, as well as the other islands of this group, was quite unlike the two or three we had hitherto visited, for it was very rich in all kinds of tropical vegetation. This was exemplified almost from the first day we touched the shore, for the chief of the village where we landed gave us a spot of ground where we could cultivate yams and taro for food, and showed us where we could cut bamboo and cocoanut leaves with which to build us a house after the manner of the islanders. He also gave us some beautiful mats made of native grass which were used by the Samoans to sleep upon, but we preferred our English blankets.

We had been upon the island but a few days when we were invited to a grand feast, which we supposed at the time was gotten up for our benefit. The spot selected was one beneath a noble grove of cocoanut palms, andnot far from the ocean beach. The cocoanut is one of the loftiest and most elegant of the palm family, and the varied uses to which the natives of the Pacific Islands put this tree invest it with much interest to one who has ever lived beneath the southern skies. We had already used its broad leaves for a covering for our dwelling, and we now saw the same kind of leaves made into baskets, in which food was carried to be consumed at the feast. We had also noticed that the leaves were used as brooms by the natives and consumed for fuel. During more extensive wanderings in the South Seas, as well as in Southern Asia, we saw the leaf lighted as a torch, fed to cattle for fodder, or placed about the roots of plants as manure. We saw the stem of the leaf used in making fences, for poles to carry burdens, for fishing rods, and for many domestic purposes. We saw the cabbage, or cluster of unexpanded leaves as well as the green husk, made into pickles and preserves, and the sap of the tree used for making sugar, vinegar and the drink known as arrack. The nut itself was used in many ways, among which it is eaten raw, used in curry, and made into pies and cakes, and a multitude of other dishes. Among the islanders the oil is used for anointing the body, to cure rheumatism, for oiling the hair, for making soap, and for making candles. The cocoanut shells are utilizied in inumerable ways, and many small articles for daily use are manufactured from them. Among the natives where we were, perhaps no part of the tree was of greater value than the fiber which invests the nut, for from this they make ropes, cordage, canvas, mats, fishing nets, brushes, oakum, and other useful articles. The trunk of the tree is used for boats, troughs, rafters, furniture, and firewood. Here upon Upolu and the other islands of this group the trees are watched with as much care as our orchard trees, one reason being the limited area of the islands, and the large population which they sustain.

The preparations for the grand dinner were extensive, and began a day before the feast was to occur, but as we had nothing to do we followed the natives to the spot, and watched the proceedings with considerable interest. They first dug a hole six to eight feet across, and at least four deep. Into this they threw about half a cord of wood, and upon the wood laid a large number of rocks. A fire was then kindled beneath the wood. The manner of creating the fire was a custom common in all the islands of the Pacific. Two pieces of wood were selected, one being a soft wood always used for this purposes, while the second was a harder piece. Any hard wood answered the purpose for the second stick. A groove was cut in the soft wood, and then a slip of hard wood was drawn rapidly forward and back through this groove, as a carpenter saws a piece of wood in two. It took but a few moments to cause heat enough to set fire to some prepared material, and then this was put beneath the pile of wood in such a manner as soon to cause a bright blaze.

The fire was allowed to burn briskly, till the rocks became very hot, then a large lot of immense banana and other thick heavy leaves were thrown upon the rocks, confining the fire to the pit, as the leaves were too green to burn. The men now brought a fine large turtle and two fat pigs, the latter had been cleaned and the hair burned off, while the body of each pig had been stuffed with plantains, breadfruit, and yams. Many fowls were also brought, and a large number of fish. These, as well as the turtle and the two pigs, were all wrapped in the huge green leaves so abundant in this tropical land. Then additional leaves were thrown over the mass, and on top was heaped the sand that had been dug from the pit before the fire was made. The intense heat retained by the rocks was prevented from escaping by the green leaves that had been used, while at the same time it permeated all portions of the mass, and cooked deliciously all the meats and fish that had been placed in the pit.

We had noticed that all the ordinary cooking had been done by Samoan women; while during the preparations for this feast no women were allowed to have anything to so with the cooking, but all the work had been performed by men. One of the missionaries said this was always the case at the feasts, which we now learned took place regularly once a month. The trader with some humour suggested that it was this peculiar feature that made the feasts so popular among Samoan women.

We had still to wait twenty-four hours before the viands would be ready for the table, as it took a day a night to cook the turtle and the pigs thoroughly. The next day the members of the village had gathered in good season under the shady grove, and the boys and girls amused themselves in running races, or playing in thhe water of the ocean, - for these islanders take naturally to water as an aquatic bird does.

When the meats were ready to be taken from the pit, all present assembled in a circle facing the chief and principal men. The food was now brought and placed before them, and they in turn divided it into as many portions as there were families present, and in proportion to the size of the family. The food was carried in the cocoanut baskets and placed before the head of the several households, who in turn divided it among the members of his family. The round think leaves of a native tree were used for plates, and they admirably served their purpose. All the dishes were done to a turn, and though the fish and the fowls had been in the steaming pit for twenty-four hours, they were not over-cooked, as one might have supposed. For drinking vessels we used gourds and cocoanut shells, some of the latter being beautifully carved and polished.

The amount of food that could be eaten by the people of these islands was astonishing. But we soon found that living chiefly upon vegetable food, we consumed a much greater bulk than when we lived upon ship fare of salt pork and hard tack. Upon this occasion all ate to repletion, and for an hour or more after the feast all present either slept or rested, so it was toward evening before the natives separated to their homes.

We soon learned that feasting, dancing and war were about the only things that kept the men busy. Food was abundant, much of it being had simply for gathering, while the yam and taro patches were cultivated by the unfortunate captives held as slaves, who had been brought from other islands during war. Their labors were not severe, and they were treated well, except that they were not allowed to marry or have families. While the morality of the women was quite low in these islands, yet it was considered a degradation for them to receive any attention from the slaves, and for certain infringements of this custom both slave and woman were put to death.

To one accustomed to the limited range of products in the temperate zone the multitude of plants fitted for the use of man that strive to outgrow or crowd each other in the torrid regions seems marvellous. On these islands, rich in a decomposed volcanic soil with much heat and an abundance of moisture, plant life was a constant study. Here were bananas with their long and graceful leaves, and fruit in every stage from the smallest bud just opening to the perfect fruit, pineapples as rich as any man could desire, oranges with their bright green and glossy foliage and golden fruit, sweet potatoes and yams, taro and tacca from which arrow-root is made, half a dozen or more varieties of breadfruit, the handsome india-rubber tree, the paper mulberry, shaddocks, tobacco, coffee, sugarcane, bamboo, rattans, castor beans, wild nutmeg, and ginger, tree ferns, the banyan tree, and a number of other valuable native fruits and plants, the names of which would not be known to the great portion of English readers, and without description would convey no idea to them.

While there are so many trees and useful plants, the number of animals is very limited; and it seemed odd in our rambles through the forests and along the mountain sides to find no traces or signs of deer or bear, to fear no danger from wildcat or panther, to hear of no damage from fox or coyote, and to meet with neither snakes nor frogs. To be sure, turtles were plentiful and the waters abounded with fish, while forests swarmed with birds, but of native animals upon the land there were almost none.

The turtles were so plentiful that they were a favorite food among the natives, and one of the regular pastimes was capturing these unwieldy animals. At times they were captured in strong nets made from the fiber of the cocoanut husk; at other times the men would rush into the water, and three or four would turn a turtle upon his back where he would float but could not sink. It was rare fun for the Samoan boys to catch a turtle on land and jump upon his back for a ride, though the motions were so peculiar that it was not an easy matter to maintain one's balance. We notes one rather odd thing about turtle eggs, which are considered quite a delicacy among the natives; and that was, that when an egg was boiled the white of it never coagulated or became hard like the white of the eggs of fowl.

Some two or three weeks after we had reached Upolu the trader told us there was to be a moon dance in the evening. Dancing was such a favorite pastimne among Samoans that we should not have thought anything about it had not the man called it a moon dance. Thinking it to be something a little unusual we all went that evening to a long shedlike building where the dance was to take place. Nearly the whole number of natives in the village had assembled, and the dance began just before the upper edge of the moon showed itself in the eastern horizon. The men formed two ranks, and kept time by a sort of chant while going through the exercise. This was not dancing in the ordinary sense of that word, but more like a drill or gymnastic exercise, where the hands and arms performed regular motions as the men moved to the right and left and then forward toward the moon, but did not go backward a single step. When the men had ended their dance the women took their positions in a similar manner, and went through a series of motions which resembled those of the men except for some slight changes. There were followed by three or four slender and graceful young women who were expert dancers, and who performed a great variety of movements altogether different from those which had preceded them. The closing motions of this dance were so wild that under the teachings of the missionaries they have since been abandoned entirely, but at the time we were upon the islands they were danced with all the savage freedom of manner.

One day we were invited by one of the principal natives to a cava drinking at his house, which stood at the farther end of the village from our rude dwelling, and was one of the largest and most pretentious edifices upon the part of the island we were living. At least thirty or forty people were assembled in and around the dwelling. As soon as we had arrived, one woman brought into the room - the Samoan houses have but one large room - a big bowl that would contain several gallons of water. The was placed in the center of the floor, and around it some fifteen or sixteen girls from fourteen to eighteen years old seated themselves, and in front of each girl was placed a little pile of cava roots. We were told by the dignified native who had invited us, that in making the cava only the young women are allowed to take part, and that no old or even married woman is allowed to sit in the cava circle. Cava has leaves like our common dock; the root is about the shape and size of a small parsnip. These cava roots had been thoroughly washed and cleaned before being placed on the banana leaves beside the young women. We had been told that cava was made by chewing the cava root, but hitherto we had hardly believed it, but we now saw these black-eyed and rather handsome young women place the roots in their mouths and chew them till they became a sort of pulp, which was thrown into the big bowl in the center of the circle. This chewing of the cava roots was continued till the mass of pulp in the bowl was about as large as a big cocoanut, when the chewing process ceased, and a woman brought in a quantity of water and poured it into the bowl till it contained at least four gallons. She then stirred the mass thoroughly in the water, and allowed it to remain some ten or fifteen minutes, when all the pulp was strained out by means of a number of small sticks held closely together. The cava was now ready for drinking, and as guests we were invited to partake of it first. It was fortunate for us, perhaps, that the women who had take n such a part in preparing this drink were young and quite attractive, or we might not have been so ready to drink the liquid; but we did not hesitate, and took a gourdfull of cava, which we found to be slightly sour and very insipid.

Why it should be a favorite drink of the natives we could hardly imagine, for it had none of the exhilarating effects that liquor has. Our friend the trader cautioned us not to drink more than one or two cups of it, but I did not believe it contained any intoxicating principle and so continued to drink, merely as a test, some five or six gourds of it. By the time I had drunk my last glass I began to feel a little dizzy, and so got out doors and soon started for our sailor residence. The sand along the beach was as smooth and hard as a floor, but from the effects of the cava I had drank, it appeared to me to be rising in little hillocks at least two or three feet high, and my friends told me that I made a most ludicrous appearance in trying to step over these imaginary hills. My head began to whirl around, and though I kept going toward the house my senses were confused, and I acted in all respects like a man under the influence of alcohol, except that I was depressed rather than exhilarated. On reaching the d welling, after what seems to me a long and tedious trip, I at once fell down upon some blankets and did not recover my senses for several hours. In fact, it was the following day before I got over the effects of the cava, and I had no desire to repeat the trial during our stay at the islands.

We found these natives a simple, frank, good-hearted race of people, kind to each other and generous and hospitable to us as strangers. Most of their time was spent in dancing, feasting, swimming, or in making war upon the inhabitants of other groups of islands. During our stay of some months we saw preparations of all kinds for war, but no actual fighting. We were told by the trader that their method of fighting is much like the Indians of North America, that is, there is no regular line of battle, but each man fights for himself, and every rock and tree is a fortress behind which a soldier protects himself. Their weapons are bows and arrows, some of the bows being immense affairs many feet long, and spears and clubs. Both of the latter are made from fine grained and handsome native wood. The lower end of the battle club is three-cornered instead of being round, and some are elegantly carved and polished. The men in fighting costume cast aside most of their clothing, but add to the number of their ornaments, and dress their hair in a manner that gives them a majestic appearance.

We witnessed the launching of a war canoe that had been nearly a year in course of construction. It was nearly ninety feet in length, and was formed of the trunks of three trees so neatly fitted together that it took careful inspection to detect the joints. The fastenings were of the almost invaluable cocoanut fibre. Two of these canoes were fastened together, and over them a raised covering was built as a post of honor for the chief man. A mast could be placed on the platform between the canoes, and upon this could be fastened sails made of mats. In time of need the men throw water upon these mats, causing them to swell up, closing the interstices so as to make them as impervious to air as canvas itself. The bottoms of these war canoes we scraped and polished till they were as smooth as glass. This work represented the labour of a large number of men for several months. The manner of the launching the canoe was peculiar to the islands, and seemed cruel, though I could not discover that any of the men were seriously injured. To prevent the bottoms of the boats from touching the ground, as the canoes had been built some distance from the shore., a row of slaves was made to lie down and the boats were dragged over their backs. A few of these poor fellows were larger than the others, and at times the weight upon them was pretty severe, but it did not last long. Once in the water the boat was quickly manned with warriors, who forced the canoe through the sea at a rapid rate as the men struck the water with their paddles all at the same instant, and each was an expert boatman.

One day, seeing quite an excitement among the younger natives, I hastened along the beach to a spot where fifty or sixty boys were engaged in bringing cocoanut leaves for the nearest trees, and a number of men were at work making a sort of net out of the same for fishing purposes. One side of the leaves was split into fringes, and then strings of these leaves were fastened together so as to form a long line. These divisions were carried out into the water, till at least half a mile of this net had been completed.

The spot selected was a small bay, and the fence-like net reached across the mouth of it. The net was then drawn in toward the shore, and the ends lapped across each other as the distance lessened, so that it was almost impossible for the fish to escape. By the time the net had been drawn some distance, the tide began falling rapidly, and then the men, women and children of the village rushed into the water and secured great numbers of different kinds of fish. The following day preparations were made for another feast, and into the big oven many of the fish went for general consumption.

The expertness of these islanders in swimming has been mentioned been mentioned by all travellers to the South Seas, and it was no suprise to use when we beheld many of their almost incredible feats, but some of the younger men performed one that was worthy of relating. On one side of the island was a cave that extended back some distance. A sort of shaft or big well connected the top of this cave with the higher part of the beach, so that when the surf came rolling in and the cave filled up, the water would shoot up in this shaft some forty or fifty feet. It used to be great sport among the more daring of the native swimmers to watch the waves as they were about to receed, and then dive down into the shaft and swim under water out to the mouth of the wave and beyond the breakers. Though we saw this done repeatedly with safety, yet not a single sailor among us dared make the attempt, though two or three were fine swimmers.

The covering of the Samoans is made from the inner bark of a bush, called tappa. This bark is stripped from the bush and placed in water, where it remains till it is partly decomposed. It is then tied in bundles and carried to the homes of the natives, where it is placed upon smooth, flat logs. The strips are made to cross each other, like the warp and woof of cloth. They are then beaten for a long time with a three-cornered mallet of some hard wood. The cloth is made by this simple yet laborious process. There is something of glutinous nature in the bark, which causes the parts to adhere to each other, and the cloth formed is of a strong, durable character. The tappa cloth is made in sheets from two to five feet wide, and is then painted or stained different colors. The part worn about the head and loins of the native is however always uncolored. The making of tappa cloth is one of the great home industries among the women, though of late years the introduction of American and English cloth has to some exte nt done away with the native production. The hardest work among the men was the cultivation of yams and taro, but this was mostly performed by the slaves.

During our stay upon Upolu wee made a short excursion into the interior with some of the natives, and were much impressed with the beauty of the hills and valleys, as well as the lovely falls that we saw in two or three places. There was a great variety of trees and plants, and many of them were of the most valuable kind, as the castor beans, the wild orange, ginger, nutmeg, the india-rubber tree, and others. Of birds there were many kinds, and the forests were filled with grey and green doves, blackbirds, paroquets, cardinals, etc. The views from some of the higher peaks were quite magnificent, and the lovely islands, the quiet ocean, the grand forests, and the great abundance of plant and bird life, made the scene memorable to use.

After a stay of some months among the natives of Samoa, we took leave of our friend the trader and the good missionaries, and obtained a passage on a vessel bound for the Fiji islands. Here we had to spend many long weeks waiting for the ship to complete her cargo of cocoanut oil, sandal-wood, etc, and then set sail for Sydney, Australia, which was our original destination before being shipwrecked. Here for the first time we heard of the captain and the rest of the sailors, who told us that they succeeded in reaching an island, and from there, like ourselves, got to Australia at the end of several months.