The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-12-11

the royal funeral. They were sent out
TO all the Society, Friendly and Pau
mOtu Islands, and brought back all the
natives they could hold. Fully 5000 men
and women were gathered up in this way
and brought to Tahiti, where they took part
in the obsequies They all gathered to-
gether In a great circle around the palace
and sat there for forty-eight hours On a
stretch. singing island hymns for the dead
continually. When the natives OF one
island had finished their hymn. those of
another would start in. So the singing
never stopped during all the time.
ION the third day the King was buried.
Then there was great feast which lasted
for twelve hours.
No; they didn't get intoxicated after the
Teasing. either. You know it's against the
law at Tahiti for natives to make orange or
pineapple wine.
"of course, they break the law. but not
enough TO become drunkards. Three or
four natives will go back into the mountains
with quantity Of oranges and pineappleS
and properly prepared barrel In which to
brew their liquor.
~ stumbled into one OF their rendezvous
one day all uRawares and found the hills so
thicky covered with orange trees and pine
apples as to be absolutely impossible. We
had to make det0ur OF nearly half mile
TO get around the place.
They squeeze the juice from the fruit,
throw the refuse on the ground. and let the
liquid ferment in the sun. The seeds grow
where they fall. and so tbickly as 10 make
an impossible barrier in few years.
"In bringing the liquor down 10 the
valleys they make Use of The mountain
streams, floating the barrel down on the
surface of the water This saves lots or
hard work and keeps the wine cool while
en- voyage.
''But the laws are so strict against this
sort of thing and the natives so lazy that
there Is comparatively little Of this brewing
done.
"Some Of the natives once bought con-
demned steam-launch from man-of-war.
rhe native engineer and pilot ran her too
near the coral reefs one day when she ,sas
on an errand from MaurHa TO Tahiti. They
were abont six miles teom Maurua and ten
from Tahiti when she struck hard on.
careened and went down like rock In less
time than II takes 10 tell IL.
There were lots of whitehalls and othe T
boats on the beach al Maurua, besides any
number of canoes and lots of natives 10
man them. Did the natives hasten to the
aid OF the shipwrecked men? Not much.
They knew better than that. They treated
the whole thing as joke and paid but little
heed to their struggling fellows.
And did the shinHreeked natives drown
Not bit They didn't even swim back TO
Maurua, but faced about toward Tahiti,
where they were bound. and swan into
port about as quickly as the launch Itself
wonld have brought them.
"I'll tell you a little yarn about Black
Tom. or English Tom, or Tom Britannia,
by all three Of which names lie was known
by the beach-combeTs. He took eleven ma
tives off one day to do shark fishing. prom
Using to take them out and bring them home
again for moderate sum. Well, he took
them TO windward desert island fully 100
miles away from Kaiatea. lie was careful
10 let no one know where he was bound,
only telling in a general way that they were
going TO 4 nearby island for shark fshi ing.
"When lie had landed the deluded natives
on the desert island he sailed back 10
Raiatea and boldly told the King that he
would leave the natives there 10 starye 70
death unless handsome ransom were paid
lin for their recovery.
We'll, the end OF IL was that the King
had to fetch out all the copra on the island
and pile it up on Black Toms deck before
he would budge n yards length.
when he got all he could and had ex-
t0rted a promise FOR about as much more
when he should return, he sailed off and
brought back the shark-hunters.
at is such things as these you know.
tha: give the Kanakas lofty notion of the
noble white man"