Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-12-20

More.
We went to shore (at Suva in the
Fiji islands, in a white mans boat
with two native rOWerS. One of them
did something amisS and the white
man took the oars out of, his hand and
he threw himself down III the bottom
Of the boat without saying a word. as
if he felt diSgraced. The town of Suva
is very unpretentiOuS compared with
Honolulu, but at every step there is
! something to interest the stranger
Little hills rise abruptly behind the
streets with deep cut roads winding
between them. They look like rail
way cuttings and their steep banks
/ are covered with flowers. On unc
point Of the vantage stands the Pres
! byterian church; on another Is the
Catholic with the bishops residence
overlooking it. The shops in Suva are
not so like American stores as those
Of Honolulu. They resemble more the
ship-chandler's in a British seaport
People who are living in these isles
IF Eden must have many longing
Tor a sight of the bleaken shores of
the North COuntrie," from the visit
full way in which they gaze at the new
+ arrivals. One tall burly Britisher
could not resist addressing US, in
hopes of finding some link with home.
He was disappointed to hear that al
most all were Australians on the globe
trot; but when l said, ''AIy home is in
! Mid Lothian" his dole face lit I'D. Tc
had spent some years in the neighbor-
hood of Edinburgh, and he piled me
with whole volley of questions. Did
[ know the Scot-Skirvings; and the
| Hopes of FentOn-Barns, etc, etc He
might have talked all day and my
time in Fiji was too precious for that,
so | had to break short his eager
queries as my companions were losing
patience. We Sauntered along the
main street, till suddenly the name
Walter Horne above a store brought
to my memory something that the
Scotch officer had told me about a
brother Scot from the banks of Forth
who had the largest dry goods business
in the colony, who was a power for
good in the island, a missionary in ev-
erything but name and who must have
known my father and would rejoice
to see me. On the impulse of the mo-
ment | went in, while the others
waited for ne in the photograph shop
next door, and asked the benevolent
elderly gentleman, who advanced to
meet me, if he were Mr.. Horne. He
was, and when | told him who | was
what warm Scottish welcome l re-
received. Indeed. he had known and
revered my father and still held
him in sacred memory in his
new tropical home. He, also, had
food of questions to ask about
the old country; but he was
quite abreast with the state Of politics
and religion, for he correspondent with
the rising young statesman, Lord Bal
four of Benleigh (WhOSe parents were
dear friends of my father on whose
estate he had been brought up. He de-
plored that l had no time to visit his
family, as their residence was too
far from town; but like Il kindly Scot,
he was determined that [ should see
ill that could be seem in one day and
offered to send his son with me as
eicOrOne. When we joined the others
proved that our Unexpectedly pro-
yided guide was a delightful addition
to our party. He could speak Fiji
and HindOstanee as we'll as Eng
lish and translated for us the remarks
of the stalWart brown natives and of
the tall, slender Indian whom we en-
cOuntered, many of the latter having
emigrated to Fiji since it became a
British colony.
A band of cOnvictS were employed
in levelling the ground between the
! main street and the sea under the sur
veillance of the native constabulary
/ The convicts wore nothing but the
calico sula around their loinS, but the
| force in charge Locked quite civilized
! in their sensible uniform of loose
! Turkish trousers of white duck and
/ blue blouses with scarlet facings
They had a fine soldierly air and their
! tawny mats of hair stood above their
heads with as martial an air as a
| Highlander's bear-skin.
| We went along a beautiful road
! made Cf coral as firm and smooth as
! the finest cement pavement. Through
! the trees on one side we had a glimpse
! of the sea. Beautiful flowers
! hung from the branches overhead
single and double Hibiscus of a glow
ing crimson; and also magnificent wide
! flowers of a deep cream color, veined
in a paIer shade, with hearts of rich
| chocolate brown. Bread fruit trees
with their broad leaves of polished
| green and their clusters of oval shaped
fruit-lemoDs, mummy apples and
! candle-nuts were hanging by the way.
side, where all might pluck who
chose. After going for a mile through
these lu1uriant bowers of tropical
vegetation, famed by the sea-breeze
! which made walking easy even under
the rays of the noon sun, we reached
native village nesting in a grove OF
bread fruit and banana trees. We had
to climb over a wooded stile to get
within the fenced enclosure. Then
our guide went to the door of the
nearest house and asked the ladies il
they would accept visit from u.s.
It looked an idyllic spot The en-
closure was remarkably clean anC
tidy: in front was the narrow grove