The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1889-02-28
THE SOFT SEA ISLANDS.
Samoan MaidenS Who Ask for Cur,
y iOuS Love Tokens.
SEINE AND BEEF
i Naval Officers Chat About Love and
war in Mataafa's Sunny Land.

4 tenant was holding forth about Samoa
. I In fact, since the arrival Of the I. s. :
, ! Adams, Honolulu has talked of littl
| else. They bring the latest news from
the war now raging there, and ever.
man, from " Fighting Leary" to the salt
est Jack tar, grows enthusiastic over tn,
beauty, strength and bravery of that IN
fortunate people.
was sitting on the railing of the We
randa, looking out where the moonlight
touched the plumes OF bending palm
branches and speckled the broad banana
leaves with light. Up from the garden
came the scent Of -jessamine and the
understanding mountain ginger. Even
more beautiful is the land we were talk
ing of; warmer and softer in climate and
richer IN foliage, it is hard to imagine
J horrid war amid such peaceful surround
| ings.
The Germans have large interests in
| Samoa, and, thinking they would have
/ more power with King of their own
/ choosing, they encouraged petty chief
! (Tamasese) to revolt, and helped him by
| abducting the reigning King, MalietOa
| No sooner is he gone than the people pro-
claim his cousin, Matdafa, King, and re-
juse to recognize Tamasese. Being urged
by the Germans, TamaseSe tries to COM
pei their allegiance, which results in
open rebellion. There were at Samoa
the German man-of-war Adler, the
United States ship Adams and the Eng
lish Lizard. The Lieutenant was telling
us how many times the Adams put a
spoke in the wheel OF the Germans, but
regretted bitterly their peaceful orders
from Uncle Sam. 1t was hard to see a
powerful ship threaten defenseless wo-
men and children, burn native villages
and generally "swagger and bully" and
be pOWerles5 to fight. However, they
had the satisfaction OF interfering, and
by their watchiulness considerably to
balk the plans of the Germans.
lit was great fun" said the navy
officer, ''to see the Adler get up steam
and prepare for new move; immedi-
ateIy the Adams steamed up and finally
the Lizard, all in row. Everywhere
the Adler went, after her nOsed the in
quisitlve Yankee, while John Bull fol-
lowed to see fair play. Ii the Adler
manned a boat and put for the shore,
the Adams manned boat and followed.
Not movement of theirs escaped our
Captain, and though We were not al
lowed to fight, we interfered, headed off
the Germans, and tried to see fair play"
The Germans proclaimed Tamasese
King, and backed him up, but every big
battle they have had yet has been won
by Mataafa. "YOu can't call those men
sayages," the navy officer said. "They
have more humanity, and it seems to |
me, a finer sense OF honor than we have |
Imagine one side notifying the other |
when they would begin an attack"
Next Tuesday at 2 80, if 1t don't |
rain" said the diplomat laughing.
Exactly, and more than that, they |
ask how many men there are on the !
other side, and if they find the enemy |
has less than themselves they leave I
number at home to be exactly even"
The Captain told me-" l said, "that !
when they were tired of fighting they all |
stopped and went swimming together in |
the same stream. quite amicably."
$50 they do" said the Lieutenant. !
Though they are amiable and friendly |
during a truce, when they do fight it is |
to the death-frst with rifles and then, !
when their ammunition gives out, hand |
TO hand with spears and clubs. a war
rior viii cut Oft the head OF a man he has
killed, bring it home, show it about to .
then bury it decently. Though" he |
added, laughingIy, 81 must say he has |
a little fun with it first. He puts it on a
mat and walks around it jeering and |
making irOnical remarks, How d'y do, |
old fellow Pleased to meet YOU Call |
again and bring your friends You're
not looking 50 well as when | last beheId /,
your amiabIe cOuntenance. ,"
" IrOHical," said the diplomat from
the depths Of the hammock; g / should |
think they were! When Tarnasese was
I
lion broke out, he ordered u taGOa, on
which occasion it is the custom to bring
offerings Of presents. Malietoa's follow
ers came obedicntly. but all wore black
turban5 in mourning for their chief, and
then you would see two strapping fellows
over six feet tall carrying a stick between
them on which was suspended the very
skinniest chicken and the smallest fish
they could find, and this they would lay
at the feet Of the usurper with elaborate
courtesy and sarcastic speeches.
" The Captain told me" I said, "that
some Of the Samoan women who are /
married TO Germans have threatened to
Kill their husbands If any i'll befalls their
relatives"
q" So they have" assented the Lieu
tenant, "but there are two sides to every
question, and so strongly do they recOg-
niZe the encouragement the Adams gave
to MaHetoa's men in defending the rights
of their country that several German
women have threatened TO kill Captain
Leary if their husbands lives are lost"
All, the poor women / said.
81 Where do they 90 to avoid the fight
ing?"
Where did they go?" cried the Lieu
tenant, enthusiastically. " Into the
middle Of the fight! Carrying water to
their warriors, helping, sustaining, en-
couragjng them. Fine, big, Amazons
they are, too, and a Jagged Samoan club
is a very formidable weapon i'm their
hands, for many Of them fight side by
side with the men. One poor girl was
shot in the foot and fell. Her husband
stopped to help her. NO, no. she said,
don't stop for me. Go and tightn' And,
crawling on her hands, she got out OF tine
way. Afterwards sine suffered the am
pufatiOn Of her foot with remarkable
courage, never even uttcriu- groan."
q" It's wonderful how stoicai they are. "
said the diplomat " When 7 was there
% woman came To the Legation with u
deep Cut i'm her arm. Have YOU any
medicine Tor th.s?' 4 clerk who was
there took down bottle Of fiery Pain
Killer and poured it into the wound.
The woman never fiuched. Doesn't il
hurtT l asked, What If it doss?' she
o., r...rt-araT with an air az uur1ucag,,