St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-03-25

schooner rounded an emerald point on
which was grand grove of coaoanut palms
with a number of brown conical huts among
them, and swept into the beautiful land
locked harbor of Pongo-Pongo. 1t looked
like a great silver basin framed in emerald
hills.
We anchored within two hundred yards of
the shore, and from a staff that rose from
the midst of groves of bread-fruit orange,
pineapple, lime trees and bananas, 1 saw the
Stars and Stripes and for the time 1 felt
was back in the land of the free and the
home of the brave"
The temptation to give description of
the swarm of canoes that at once surround
ed US, and Of my most interesting visit to
the native village is very great, but I find I
cannot do SO and at the same time have space
to describe an incident that must forever
keep that young Samoan, Upola, affection
ately alive in my memory.
Sailors, like farmers, like their dinner in
the middle of the day. and this custom pre-
vailed on board the Ala.
That one might enjoy the sunset for which
these islands, and particularly Tetuila, are
noted, Mrs. Roberts told the cook that we
uOI nave supper I'LL dlteE udTk. IulS
was not long to wait, for in the tropics, there
are no calm, delightful twilights, as we know
them in the temperate zone. AS soon as
the sun is out of sight, the splendid constel-
lation of the Southern Cross and all the lesser
stars flash down in a way that is at first quite
surprising to a newcomer.
Although there was sixty feet of water
where we were anchored, it was so clear that
we could see the bottom almost as distinctly
as if we were looking through the air.
l was watching the colored fish and the
wonderful coral formations, through which
there now and then moved the long black
form of a shark for these things interested
me even more than the gorgeous coloring of
the clouds now growing dark, when was
startled by hearing an agonzed cry from the
direction where 1 knew Mrs. Roberts had
been sitting.
Accompanying this cry there was the splash
as of falling body.
turned and saw Mrs Roberts clinging to
her husband, while he shouted:
''For Nellie! Let met go! Let me gor
The girl, in playing about the deck had in
some unaccountable way, fallen overheard,
and was being swept away by the outgoing
tide.
The Samoan captain, his son and the rest
of the crew were lying down on the forward
deck, when the child disappeared over the
stern.
We have all often heard the expression
quicker than it can be described" but in
this case the movements of Upola We're so
quick that the eye could not follow and note
them.
Mrs. Roberts cry was still ringing in my
ears when 1 saw the youth leaping from the
deck with the bound of panther. He threw
off his palm leaf hat as he ran, and few quick
bounds took him to the stern of the schooner.
over which Nellie had vanished.
1 was more anxious than / can describe,
yet could not but note the wonderful con-
fidence and perfect grace of Upola, as he
leaped on the bulwark, then with motion
that seemed more the fight of great bird
than the leap of human being, he sprang
fearlessly out and there was hardly splash
when head-first he struck the water.
1 looked up at the sky, as L hurried in the
direction the youth had taken, and l saw the
arms of the Southern Cross blazing down,
and, as there was no moon, / knew it would
be dark in few minutes.
But it was not Upola alone who was quick
in his movements, the boat in which we had
gone ashore was alongside, and obeying the
captains shout, the two Samoans leaped into
it with vim, but the rope was fastened in a
way that it took fully minute to unloose. The
time seemed cruelty long to me, but what
must it have been to Mr.. Roberts and his.
wife.
ST gotta Nelliep'
darkening water and about fifty yards away
1 caught a glimpse of a white dress, Lack a