The sun., 1891-07-12
|HB SOUTH SEAS.
lrB UNDER THE EQUATOR.
,urBs FROM A LEsuRELY TRAVELLER
o,rtsM 1891 by & 4 xecsssr~
THE FREE ISLAND.

XXI.
THE FREE ISLAND.
.,r Samoan Islands. January. 1911
Vv.vY V..iY have ,ust said) that could refuse
v'aa't. v'.,.ion OF those stricken children; but
huh ha,h shan tho day came. my heart painted
NIUE n'',,..,anes. Before the MokolM was yet
Ha....d 7 was already In the saddle. and
=. s,s, boat carried me on board. 1t was
w ~, nouyeying me back again % we'll some
=. s.sin tho wording OF my pass. which al
~ ,..d ma specifically enough to enter the set-
ss.".,t but said nothing OF my leaving It:
4. s .ss.msr had bsen dnad oncs bsfora and I
w :, Arat refused o passage. I hsd not
" w.. an them the eaeernsas OF nv tmoatiA noe
y :. .o.s, II rave mo psrsuas'onI the Cap.
~. ,.l.ntsd. and It was not long before was
-. Al sss eating untainted 'ood. drin king
.. ~. ~, air. and behold!ng the headlanc OF
y. ,.,.rstto slip behind upon the starboard
auarteh ,., =, u,,.,.,
!. ..ui.d IN the public mind. but KalsupapA.
T.,.r,o and waikolu. which mako up the
49,, ,srritory, form an inconsldsrable frac-
a,' a a, M surface. and the rest is free coun-
W. n slsau folk. Even the promontory itself
-. ,ot vet been thirty years dedicated to
.,..,.,,. its sad associations are still young.
.sain ,hs legen ls OF the race these melan-
.so,, ~. ,.,ns. arc peopled with warriors and
vJ ~, s.m.s Just beyond Waikolu stood the
,or. a, Hsupu. OF whose siege and fall readers
mwa the periodical story In recent vol.
nms:i, vuin these profound waters. where
,osho mv anchor. that the elastic Kama
vd.d embarrassed. and the Lady Hins.
f,om tho battlemsnts Of her prison. looked
rr,s tho sea to Kalawao
Ourast place OF call on the free island was
,hs clstt Of Pelekunu. Dinner-whlch We ate
upo, the hatch. and which may have been
epod or bad, I know not. to mo 1t was nectar
md dsmbrosla-dlnner was scarce over ere we
v,rs close under the cliffs. passed between
A,m through rent. and lay tossing In the
in, Of q ford full OF spray and clamor. A
~ houses stood along the beach: tho noun
uju SCARED behind. a mountain so impractica.
Ma hat 10 cross tho island takes hard days
travel The starboard surf boat was lowered.
Itpullsd Tor tho shore: right overhead. lads
vsrs running and leabing already on the
bdps. Of the bill tho boat drew In; man
s,ood rockiugin the bows: on the nearest
vantage there stood over against him one Of
ths lsds Of the shore and these too. letter by
letter. snd Watching the chances OF the SURF.
Exchanged the mails OF Pelekunu. The scene
rolled with Is rolling OF the ship; 1t passed
amid % huge olamor OF the seas that as re-
nsds ih human actors It might be said to
pass In silence: It took but breath or two OF
tina and Il left twhen We were forth again
upon blus waters, no moro than roaring In
ny Ssrs and In the eyes OF my mind medley
Of tossing mountains, dancing boats. and
bursting surRss.
Beyond Pslekunu vast face OF mountain
thrss thousand feet, they satd-plunges In the
~ nom summit to base one unanimous, un-
broken barrier to defy cat yet all green with
contiguous forest. thick ss o boasts fur. and
rowag. like fur. in swaths OF divergent ply.
This perpendicular bush In the time Of the
rains h al shot through with tho silver OF
esseadsa Even in ths dry season. whom I
passed. the slot of them was like downward
comb marks and an sttenuated gray mares
tail hung here and there. and dissipated as It
isl Island fellow passengers sought to point
ou. to me path about halt way up. by which
men scramble. seeking the egg. OF lea birds
that mes. populously In that hanging forest. I
h,d never seen before. nor have since.
scenery so formidable as the island front Of
4olkai from Pelekunu to Wailau.
For Wailau we had a passenger two pigs.
nd three sheep. be- side the mails. Here q
essh valley runs back deep and tortuous
Among the m ,untains. the bed OF o small
stream aud about its mouth q single row OF
honss lines the beach, their windows lanking
vestWard down tina coast lmnassahle surf