New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-02-22
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
CAMPING AMONG CANNiBAIs. By h1E Cn ~
SA 5oUSsroS limo. Pr 327. Macmillan q -"

Islands IL was not until he arrived III ~ -
came upou cannbal land and one o"'"U -
wish that the chapters dealing WIN 'n". -
hoen omitted so sunny and poetic are thoSe 'I
-. g ,ho ether islands Mr.. st. johnston I'll"
-. - 90 POLYNESIA in a missionary spirit; lie was
rsnarod TO look upon the natives nov Us inioio'
hcings but as brothers and good comraues anu Ill
,he course of his indoent iourneymg ne pecdie NJ
attached 10 them and so delighted wto tner iu"n-
a,,d tbeir homes that lac dreaded to return to
civilization. Hence the cutlery of the sroNeiluns
TuoIishman." How prodgsl Nature Is OF her CUTS
g. thoso c,orions islands, he says. "Pure air. calm
COOS and cloudlcss Skies cold an almost unknown
,binc and food growing almost ready TO your haho'
7 r,,ne,nber learning "A hymn i'll my tender youth III
which | thanked the Lord was bora an EngllSh
bud. 7 think couldshave done II with greater
truth had been born Pacific Island one lie
found the islanders most courteous and unseH'Sh
peop,c if not Christian by CONVICTION ceI'al"'
Christian enough in morals and manners i"''
are very susceptible to kindness and warmly IT,
sponsiye Mr. st. JohnstOns study OF tho results u
missionary efforts has produced in him some Ia'h'i
beretlcal sentiments "Extincton, ne e"ao'
seems to follow so swiftly upon the Steps VI Wv
cation that il would seem, great thoasu '"0
ings of il may be-, that IL would nav oo'"
f,bor % race 10 have remained in then old lalth
which suprstItiOus though 1t was sun vas sou """
nure enough 10 make brave. courageous Reh'ielucn,
ot
generosity greater than our own" The missionaries
40 not always 90 about their work with good sense
they sometimes make themselves obnoxious by
barassing and unnecessary reStrictions-as on ION
catabu where they attempted to prevent the Wohcn
NV fine, from indulgng in their timc-honofed habU
of smoking their tiny cigarettes. The BRITISH Cohsu
declares that vice has enormously increased uhuer
this system Of repression of customs which II uhclV
ilized are still innocent. The missionary VINO
hmm Is a IN
instead of their beloved wrcaths of fragrant flow
ers hardly benefited anybody except the German
trader who sold the head-COyerlngS Ia question:
The Englishmen on the islands often excited the ire
of the traveller chiefly by their superciious nper-
tinent and patronizng ways with the poiie ana
gentle natives. One man on Navau-tho most
beautiful island in the word-especally stirred HIM
TO Indignation.
He looks upon the natives as creatcd-he sad SO
especially fOr the benefit aud beho0t 81 us none
white men; they are to be uSed by us III every WY
as servants and purchasers OF our ruboiSHS
goods. W are TO make money ny 'ACin' any ~, ',H
their mission here being ended, "tle Almighty VIII
sweep off from the face OF the eaIth These W!clVe
eavaces and we shall assume their inheritance
No white man, he went on TO say can osslplS pr
wrong IN dispute with them, and no Iongan ever
right in "a dispute with us H0th Befrii ana
Waxed very wrOth at this, rather an cNhaustIng
process with the thermometer at 9Oo IN the shade.
] fear almost that my indignation got INC h'llCI -
nv ro6creucc when told him what | thought
The subject. just think of low hlackgna1d Ike
this oranges and COTE, notwithstanding, VIII say
it, living upon = people as ne docs sLohsng upon ~
three times their probable value TRUSTING h1nSei
into their beautiful country, and enjoying all It's
advantages, daring to speak IN TINS manner
For the early Christian workers in FIJI Mr.. St.
Johnston has nothing but praise, and mentions
with hearty enthusiasm the story of how the wives
of two of the missionaries, when their husbands
were absent, forced entrance to the house of an
uuflendly chief and at the utmost risk of their
own saved the lives of several out of fourteen
women who were being slaughtered for the
oven.
The travellers viyacious account of life on Ton
raabu is the peasantest part of his attractive book
His readers will be disposed to envy him his enjoy
ment of one savage picnic party-a party at which
he was the only European;
The scene was strange one, and could hardly
helm smiling at myself being seated savage-hkc, on
The sand in the midst of seven or eight other say
ages If one can 50 call these charming people. In
front of Us lay the lagoon. 50 perfectly calm that
the many little coral lslcts that seemed To nOat on
its surface were with their graceful palms and veg
etatlon reflected with every detail i'll its clear
waters outside Of this the surf beating on the reef
with its regular rise and fall. and the troubled
waters of the open ocean,. The day mas beeh glo
rOusly hot the very air, that comes IN langmd
breaths Is perfumed with the scent OF flowers 50
heavily that that alone seems excuse enough Tor us
lazinCSs there Is nothing TO DO Dut lie on the sou
sand tanning ones self with branch of green
leaves and watch these pleasant fellows play
There is picture Of mdolence; can one imagine
anything more perfect For all the time one had q
happy consciousness Of rOaStplg cooking somewhere
out of sight in the background the thought of
crisp cracking. and succulent pork giving that
Last touch of future content that was wanting.
Among other things had in my pocket was a
tiny volume of Shakespeare with which these fel-
lows were much interested l often, just at first,
carried one Of these little books meaning TO read
when out walking, but always failed to do so be-
cause of the beauty and interest that were
everywhere around me. Starting out most morn
ings alone-for all the other men OF the schooner
were busy with the trading business of the voyage
i used to THINK going to be dun, but never
vet have succeeded IN being so. Well. these gentle
and l. thinking that yet had done little toward
the amusement OF the party, immediately did 50
with due dramatic acton and expression laughing
aloud at the absuIdIty of the situation. / read
them a scene from As You Like IT, and oh Lord,
a thing never did in my lie before sang them
song. So little dd these poor misguided sN"gSS
understand music that they said it was truly ad-
Inrahle and lelei generally.
At about four, or perhaps five, for don't wear II
watch aud am always in happy state OF ignorance
OF the tiue--tlme beng made Tor slaves ana not Tor
party Joined US. such pretty. pleasant women, who
had started out before the men. and had been fish
ing on the reef all morning; while We the lords OF
creation, had been amusing ourselves with Shake
speare and athletics. They opened Their baskets of
spoil and the contents were eaten at once, raw fish
being considered great Gehca9y m Tonga: Ihey
offered me great Jumps OF cuttIShsH GUY OF winch
the scpia rau and little half dead hsh whose heads
they bit OF, but politely declined these kindly
offered dantes, which ] could not manage, but
which they ate vOTaciously " hen the oven was
ready, and the kGi cooked, we all moved little way
into the bush to be to it, and there sat down
erOssegged place having been strewn with leaves
for sit on, and plate of woven cOcO-nut leaf
placed in 'front.' Oh what a gush of delicious roast
porky smell rushed up from the ground when the
earth was moved and the branches from the top of
the oven! First out came baked yam and green
bananas then. wrapped in or two mats, the
little pig which when uncovered was found TO be
Of The most enchanting brownness Kauhva cut
him M with the knife from my belt, and placed
aoout half of II on my green plate, with yam and
banana enough for SIX. ! tore pieces OF with my
fingers as much as | wanted and handed him the