Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1891-11-07

10 gct "a lar south n possible TO take MI
the advantage we could u the south
wind. The natives, however, wanteu
10 go through another passage. The
tide was falling fast and breakers were
coming up all around the openl ny.
However we saw that Il was no use 10
do anything but acquicsce 10 the ma
tives' desires, and therefore made the
attempt Just at the critical time the
boat was let down bya receding wave
and struck IL stern on part OF the reef.
The rudder was knocked clean oui, and
II Brother wood, who was steering at
the time, had not held vigorously TO II,
II would have been washed away and
lost. We were certainly In very
pefiloue position. The natives lost
their heads. A. they always do IN an
emergency; the women aud children
cried; every breaker threatened 10
throw rs on to the reef, which meant
destruction. II was some fifteen or
twenty minutes before the rudder was
adjusted. How we pulled through II
all right was next a. n miracle, aud
this IL another Instance out Of the
many, that the Lord has watched over
aud delivered His Elders In Samoa, for
which we are grateful. We soon found
ourselves out In the rough straits
In the teeth Of q strong south wind, and
battling with tho rough waves. Our
boat was, however. good sea boat, Or
we would have indeed Jared badly.
need not 20 into particulars, how II
took tie natives one half an hour 10 get
the three sails up, In danger 20 them.
selves NJ well "a the sails. When nj
last they were fixed we were blown be-
fore the wind, and a. Il came on quite
dark, with only the stars for our light,
our position was by no means au en-
vlgblc one.
a little incident happened hero
which goes 10 show the superstition Of
SamDans. After they had got over
their fright In the passage Of the reef,
they camn 10 the conclusion that II was
occarioned by the misconduct OF some
Of our company while staying NJ Iva.
They examined all the school children
ami they all declared up and down
that they had stolen nothing. The
women then began 10 feel repentan,.
One said she had taken little cocoa.
nut 10 feed her chickens, aud another
had done some such triiling thing, aud
another, another such misdemvanOr, II
such u could be called.
We found the wind was taking US
out 10 sen, No after \ three hours run
we decided ON tack. Ia the confu.
sion which .nsuod In changing the
sails, through the stupidity Of the ma
tivos Elder Woods hat was carried
overheard and lcst. We then went on
course for about two hours and just
cleared the rocky Island VI Apolima,
which " In reality an extinct volcano,
about one half mile long, rising FROM
the sea, and has some 400 Inhabitants,
more or lees. The WINS and waves
here were very had. Brothar Wood
and myself then proposed another tack
" Upulu. The natives now were get.
ting frightened and were for goiug
back to Savall. They eaii Bother
Wood was cruel and II they wefu
drowned he would be- responsible for IL,
etc. However, seeing we were firm,
they At last gave IN anu we headed
once again for Upolu. We got iu
nearer this time, and with another tack
| we were enabled 10 reach the island OF
Wanono (somc four miles In clTcum.
ference. While crossing tho reel
here we had n near shave VI being
swRmped. The tide was nearly high
and We passed over the reef, just graz.
Ing u. At the same time, n breaker
rose up on our stern, and had II not
bsen for the presence Of mindof Brother
Wood, who had seized an ore, we
itood good chance Of beibg swsmped.
We were here witnesses OF u scene
even worse than the previous one. The
sails being up, they had been made
fast In such n way that II was fully
twenty minutes before they could be
taken down and the oars brought out,
The middle Of the boat was mass Ol
struggling children and women Ia
every ones way, some yelling on,
TO do one thing and some another.
can Sssure you | felt thankful when
set foot on shore at wRuono, at about
| 1850 on Sunday, and | made the resO-
luton that would not In u hurry
trust myself again 10 the tender
mercies Of Samoan boat crew,
We visited native house on shore,
where the natives made fire 20 warm
themselves, ~ the night was chilly
Brother w. and myself laid down on
u mat and were asleep before we knew
II. We must have slept for about tive
hours. We then took TO the boat again
and rowed the remaining two miles n
the village Of Lalovi, which We reached
about $3.50 q. m. surprising Elders II
u. Bassett and &. T.. summerhays,
who were Lying there with small
branch OF the Church, numbering
some fifteen members. As We had moi
met for some six months, our meeting
was indeed n Joyous one, rs we samoan
Elders fully know and realize.
Yours truly,
HATrES CARPENTER.
FAuALIi, Upoiu, Samoa, October
II, 1891.