St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-06-17

pected, OF u low moral standard, are magni-
flcent specimens of physical manhood.
saw number OF these half-breed women at
Upola in the Navigator's group, who, with
their superb, 1.-the forms, gold-bronze COM
plexions and great, dark eyes. looked like the
finest types OF gypsy maidens, in which the
old Spanish painters delighted. The half
breed men are even superior to the women.
They will average six feet in height and in
repose look like bronze statues of the old
Grecian gladiators.
met the father of some Of these half
breeds and, to my surprise, found he was an
American and q native Of Sag Harbor, Long
Island. At first he was inclined to be re-
ticent, but after he had tasted several times
OF bottle, provided for the purpose he
thawed out and became more communicative.
He took me to his hut, near the shore; it
was exactly like that Of the natives, and sit
ting down cross-legged, as the natives do, he
lit the cheroot handed him, and looked as
happy as chief. He told me his name, on
Long Island, was Seaman, and that his
family was one Of the Oldest in that part of
the State. Out" he said, ''as it's fifty years
since settled down here, suppose all my
folks over there are dead but my family here
is all right" and he laughed and nodded at
the children and grandchildren, playing
under the breadfruit trees outside.
Seaman was now, he thought, about
seventy-five years of age; he certainly looked
twenty-five years younger. For nearly thirty
years he had never spoken word of En-
giish, because" as he said, ''there was no
one to speak to. I picked up the Upola
tongue. and now that's about all know"
He had actually forgotten most of the only
language with which he was acquainted up
to his twenty-ffth year. He hesitated and
shook his head while speaking, as if trying
to recall the half-forgotten English, and fire.
quently used native word without know
ing the difference.
"How did you come to leave the world and
take up this kind of a life?" asked.
''Wel, I didn't think about leaving the
world. What wanted to do, he said, slowly.
'was to get away from that ship. She was a
whaler named the Albatross, from New Bed
ford, and the captains name was Snow and
meaner man than that Snow
never sailed Ship
l particularly noticed that while Seaman
had forgotten much of his English, he had
retained distinct memory of all the vulgar
and profane words with which he had been
acquainted, and he used them freely and
copiously, and evidently without any idea of
their character. I learned subsequently.
that from the first he had kept up the habit
Of swearing, even when talking the native
language. and this explained something that
had puzzled me before, and that was that
Seaman's children and grandchildren, not
one OF whom knew a decent word of English,
all swore in way that would have put to
blush the proverbial trooper, and as they
did it without anger or seeming cause, it was
all the more startling.
81 suppose" said, anxious to learn his
story, for he was typical beach comber,
shat it was Shows harshness that led you to
run away from the ship?'
eyes; it was that that first started me
thinking about it. We had been down whal-
ing around the Chatham Islands, where we
was treated id rough, and we came up
here, expecting to find ship to send home
lot OF oil and bone in. AS soon as saw
these islands, and the women, said to N.Y.
self, This is heaven, sure, and I'll give up
whaling Itwasn't so easy getting away, for
as a lot of the crew had deserted at different
places, a close watch was kept. We was then
at Pango-Pango. But Snow found it hard
work keeping men from going over the side
at night and swimming ashore, and that's
what I and mate named Pearsan did.
Pearsan, he was from Sag Harbor, too, and
just bout my age"
SIS Pearsall living?" asked.
"No; he hung on for few years. then he
'peared to break right down, and he kind of
lost his head. know he lost heart, but then
he was kind of soft, tenderish chap. Why,
On him, after we thought best to leave
Tetuila and come over to this island, where
no whalers touched, Pearsall give out and
began to fade away. He'd go down to the
shore and sit there for hours at time,
watching for ships that never came; and
he'd talk to me bout the old home, where
we was boys together, and sigh to get back,
till he made me mad enough to knock him in
the head. Well, he kept that up till he
fortinitely died." and Seaman pulled his
cheroot and smiled, as if he were relating
the most. ordinary incident.
"And had you never any longings to get
homer"
eyes, at first felt bit queerish, and I
had dreams about getting back to Sag Harbor
and giving up the sea and being farmer;
but every beach comper will tell you that he's
always felt that way first off, I soon got
over my softness, but it wasn't till I felt that
Upola was to be my home forever that begun
to live. Why, after I'd been here three years
and had wife of my own and a couple of
young ones, felt I'd rather die than be took
away"
'And you've had no desire for civliza-
tion?'
''You mean for the old way back there9"
and he waved his brown hand in the direc-
ton of the ocean.
eyes"
t'No; what have they got over there-I
mean the poor, the folks that got to work
that I haven't got and ID sight better?
Is it grub? Why there amt no hungry people
in these islands. No need to steal grub here.
It's on the trees and in the water all about
YOU if you but just reach out your hand. Is
it fine clothes? We don't need 'em, and the
flowers and shells that all our gals wear are
more beautiful than silks and dimients. and
not nigh so hard to get. Is it climate? Why
there amt no climate in all the world like
this
'tBut you used to read and write"
eyes, and I'm ID glad I've forgot all
about it. What good does knowing how to
read and write do hungry man, and I know
it don't make a cold man warmer? No, read
ing, as recall it, makes US long for more