The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-04-20
In FAR-OFF SAMOA
The Experiences of Utah Boys
on the Islands.
NO CONDUCTORS ON THEIR ROUTE
Hurricane Similar to That Experienced Q
Year Ago in the Harbor of Apia
Scares the Shippers.

1871 NJ n lLEfA, CIOLSs A0AMOAi A'1oAOA
II, $780, Special correspondence of The
HERALD. Although the many readers of
The HERALD have not heard from the
Samoan islands for some time, these little
specks (the islands) are still in existence
in the great Pacific; and on its tour around
the globe,
THE HER6LD's MESSENGER
last month brought US THE CHRISTMAS
HERALD, which was at once voted the big
gest and best yet.
The long looked for Samoan treaty has
at last arrived, and as far as learned. gives
pretty general satisfaction among the
foreigners. 1t will be understood that the
natives know but very little as yet about
what kind Of a government they are going
to have. They have been for some time
past and at the present time are in about
the same situation as the horse with
balky driver-they have been in one place
for quite awhile, not knowing which way
to go, and at present they don't know what
is coming next. No doubt, they will kick
most when the driver tries the Ito the peo-
ple) new scheme, taxes, to make them go;
and when once started the driver must
keep tight rein on them, else they will
stop again. We trust that the new driver
and the others in the wagon (the drivers
assistants) will be acquainted with their
business, which there is every reason to
believe they will be.
Last month we were visited by heavy
gale Of wind, approaching near enough to a
cyclone to scare out the men-of-war from
Apla harbor, the scene of last years catas-
trophe. The wind and sleet lasted nearly
three days, and some houses were blown
over and many trees uprooted.
To know how we travel, and how the ma
tlves treat us here might be interesting to
some, so will just jot down few items
about our last journey from Fagalii our
headquarters on this island, to the east end
of the island, a distance of twenty-five
miles by sea; we will not say how far we
think it is by land. Well, after
BREAKFAST OF SWEET POTATOES,
can of salmon and some bread. Messrs.
b. Smoot, b. Solomon and myself, with
knapsacks, satchels and umbrellas in hand,
left Fagalii and pointed our stogas towards
the rising sun. For a short distance the
path led along comparatively level strip
of land which ended by running into one
OF those many small rivers that in the
rainy season course down the green hill
side and cause large streams to flow from
every hollow.
We soon found ourselves on the edge of
the bank, and as each one of us looked ND
at the other, he no doubt saw in the facial
expressions, the sentence, 'Tl pack you
over this creek II you will pack me over
the next river.n We having been in this
position before, however, lost no time in
waiting for the other, but at once decided
that we would take turns packing each
other across all streams we would come to
during the day.
The path now led US through the German
Vailele plantation, which consists of over
four thousand acres of land and is about
three foarths of mile wide and runs back
in the hills.
The plantation grows cocoanuts, oranges,
bread fruit coffee and cotton, and is
worked by one or two white men and some
thing over two hundred black slave bows.
While walking along the road, which is
fenced on either side by citron. lime and
lemon hedges, we could see here and there
in the fields gangs of slaves cooling off in
the shade of cocoanut palm, and off to
one side could be seen pair of oxen yoked
to cart, and close by was the old reliable
donkey shielded from
THE BURNING RAYS OF A TROPICAL SUN
by two large, fan-like ears; across his back
hang two large baskets, which are filled
with cocoanuts by his driver as they SLOWLY
walk from one tree to another.
Our attention was next attracted by a
weed-lke plant growing on the side of the
road. We noticed as we touched it that il
withered up as if dead We tried several
could not. The natives call it laau fefe
(fear tree, and the foreigners call it the
sensitive plant.
We again started and were soon cooled
OFF by passing shower, which also made
our narrow path very wet and muddy.
Sometimes we had to Jump from one rock
to another in a regular swamp, and not a
few times did we miss our guess and ster
in the mud We also walked some cocoa
nut tree bridges, which, to US, were almost
like walking the tight rope.
We passed through a number of small
villages nesting in little gulches and at the
base OF steep mountains
On passing through Samoan villages, the
stranger is invariably greeted, as we were
by the following queries: "Where did Won
come fromF' "Where are you going?'i
what is your bUsiness!" and after few
other words about where you are going
and what for, they will generally bid YOU
tofa (good-bye) and say, 1--WE are sorry,
but we haven't got bit of anything to eat
TO give you"
After getting to the bottom of quite a
steep hill, down the side of which we
slipped on roots, took mud slide and
stumbled over old stumps until by an I'M
known lat the time) means we got
SEPARATED FROM OUR sATcHELs.
we finally arrived at the sandy sea beach
and trudged along in the hot. white sand
almost ankle-deep. We wouldn't go fan
before coming to a rocky point running
abruptly into the sea. Here the monstrous
breakers roll in on top of each other with a
terrific force, and we would have to wait
for the receding of the foaming waves in
order to get by at all, not noticing little
swells, which would some times splash all
over US.
About l O'Clock we were called in the
teachers house in the village Solosolo and
were invited to rest awhile and have
something to eat, which, you may depend
we were not In mood to refuse In few
minutes wewere sitting down cross legged
and formed triangle by placing our meal
on small mat in front of US, and the way
each one held down his corner was simply
surprising to the natives, no doubt.
Our meal consisted of breadfruit, kalo
palusami, lupe and cocoanut each to
drink. Palusami is small bundle of kalo
leaves cooked in the juice of the meat OF
the old cocoanut and seasoned with sea
water. Lupe is the name of bird not as
large as chicken yet much richer. and is
not unlike our mourning doves in appear
ance.
In the afternoon, after leaving Solosolo
we had much the same kind of walking as
had had all morning. Up hill, down mudd,
gulches, then on the hot sandy beach anc
climbing around steep cliffs and every
little while we were
CAUGHT IN HEAVY RAIN STORMS,