The San Francisco call., 1895-12-20
WITH WILD SOLOMON ISLAND CANH|BALS,

! be perfectly safe. Nevertheless, the ne1t
| day after you start away, he is just -
| liable as not to overtake you and knocK
you on the head with his club. The SOCIAL
ethics are then eff, If it may be consldereu
| that being boiled in the head-taKer's
| pot is not a social affair.
.sThey are very bad people and ind
| them very necessary to watch. L, how
ever, learned to eat the native food, and IN
! general enjoyed IL very well. | had pre-
viously been initiated in some of the island
modes of living by staying for awhile IN
| Samoa. Fiji, New Caledonia and other
wilder islands.
''The Solomon Islanders found by far the
worst of all. They are nothing like so
handsome, being hard-featured and show
ing in every way that they are warlike.
There are but twenty-five white men in all
the Solomon Islands, while the native
population is supposed to- be about 100, OOO.
As TO that, however, no one can actually
tell.
"There are whole tribes in the interior
that no white man has ever seen. This
is learned through natives at the coast.
81 went down to the Pacific Islands
largely for pleasure, but intending to do
some literary work while absent. had
worked very hard while in Chicago and
wanted good rest. The island life is SO
peculiar that l fell in with island ways and
did no work at all.
II discarded all clothes, except a native.
garment about my loins, and let my beard.
grow long till [ got back to ydney. While
going naked the sun burned my back till
1t became exceedingly sore and the skin
peeled off in patches. Finally it healed
up and got as hard and as impervious to
the suns rays as that of any native.".
81 went about as much as dared on the
islands and much more than would do
again. 1t is down there as it once was on
the Western plains and mountains with
the Indians You get accustomed to the
danger and don't always think SO much
about it as you ought. L wouldn't 60.
through again what / have this time for
anything in the world.
II saw in some places as many as sew.
enty-five skulls in a place, all relics of the
head hunters. There were manv places
where such lots of skulls could be seen.
The more heads a brave had taken tho
higher he was esteemed. They hold the
heads in the same est1mation as an Indian
does his scalps. They add renown to him
according TO the number he has. Aslong
as this state of feeling prevails it-can be
seen that it will not stop.
Anyway if any civilized power set out
to stop it, [ don't see how it could be
done. No one can track them to their
camp IN the bush. 1t would be too dam
gerous even if pursuers knew how to do it.
The weapons of the savages are very
loImludDie. 1ney use long war ClupS,
which are fitted into rounded pieces Of
granite, and murderous blades that will
fetch off head at a single blow. Worse
than those by far are the poisoned arrows,
which are so deadly as to cause instant de.
struction. / collected many barbarous
relics l have knives and swords with
human bones for handles. They were
easily got, for they were very plentiful. 7
also got many other articles, including
articles of wearing apparel but these are
very simple contrlvances, for in general
the Solomon Islanders, male and female,
go stark naked.
II also spent considerable time during
my absence in the interior of Samoa I
slept night after night with Malietoa, Ia
masese and Other chieftains. They told
me greal deal about their trouble. Nv
opinion is there will be another war there,
and 1t may come soon. The correspond
ents at Apia don't give the facts They
don't know them. They DO not go intothe
interior, and man in Alaska might lust
as well be quoted on what was going on inS
the United States.
''When l left the King and different
chiefs | was fairly loaded down with pres
ents, and | prize them all highly. They
all besought me to return, which / NAV do
In few months. 1t was so fascinating
there that would like to go back, but I
don't care to see any more OF the Solomon
Islanders''
He brought several boxes and bags Of
gifts and collections of coins of various
kinds, among them kava- bowls, hats,
weapons and articles used in the bush.
Mr.. Harrison has been so long away
from his home, that though originally ex-
pectlng to remain in San Francisco two or
three DAYS, he finally concluded to leave
at once for Chicago. He therefore left on
the evening train.