The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1897-08-07
JOURNEY ENDED
Harry Swinton Closes
His Narrative.
An Interesting Story of Voyage
Among the South Sea
Islands.

family went ashore TO spend the night
at one Of the teachers houses, while
the rest only went ashore to hold a
meeting with the people, returning
again at 5 p. m.
Next morning January 10TH the
usual crowd went ashore at the other
station. While waiting there for Mr..
Channon to get through with his work
on shore, the ships company was kept
busy mending sails and other things
needing attention. All hands came on
board at A.: 80 p. m; lay there another
night
Mr.. Channon and Mr.. Walkup told
me they were well satisfied with the
work done during the year, notwith
standing the sway the Catholics have.
I would say that everywhere we
have visited through the group every
thring looks green. They had more
rain than they have had for a good
many years before. 1t was rain, rain
on every island we went to, and rain
on the way; in fact, we began to think
that the current had taken us up to the
Marshall Islands, for there "Nui loa
ka ua."
Next day January 18th at 800 we
weighed anchor for Barnom Island,
some $50 miles to the westward of US
that being the last island on this trip.
1t does not belong to the Gilbert group,
but is an island by itself. Since the
T-if ioh oh of no
Gilbert Islands, they have included
that in their possessions.
There is another island to the west
ward of that, called Pleasant Island,
which the Germans claim. These two
have a language Of their own. 1t is on
this island Mr.. De La Potte Cthe one
we took on board in ButaritarD is to |
be located. We took him to Kusaie |
first. There he is to learn the Ian |
guage of a half-caSte by the name of |
William, a native of Pleasant Island, |
and scholar in the training school. |
He goes there with William as his
helper. He will be under Dr. Rife In
this. connection | would say the Mar
shall trip next year will be longer by
Is or 20 days. Since the Germans have
taken the Marshall Islands, the Com
missioner makes it imperative for YES
sells to enter and clear from Jaluit (the
seat of Government, so instead of go
ing down to Pleasant Island to pick up
Mr.. De La Potte, the Star will have to
go to Jaluit from Kusaie, enter there,
then come back to Pleasant Island
to take him on board.
Then continue her Marshall Island
trip; when through, the Star then
must take him back to Pleasant ISL
and.
From Kusaie, Pleasant Island bears
about Sc. S.1aS., between 500 or 600
miles. Jaluit bears E. N. 400 miles, so
it's to be seen plainly the Star has
some extra sailing to do on her Mar
shall Island trip next year, unless some
arrangements can be made to take Mr..
de la Potte on board on the Stars way
from Honolulu to Kusaie. He can wait
there until she makes the Marshall
Island trip and then takes him back
again to his island home. By so doing
the Marshall Island trip can be short
ened considerably.
After getting out of Nonouti lagoon,
we steered due west with light north
easterly breeze blowing, making very |
little progress. On the third day from |
Nonouti we sighted Barnum Island |
commonly called Ocean Island) early |
in the morning, bearing W.N. from us
II miles off Came up to it at $50 |
(having got up steam two hours before |
that. When abreast of the station we
lowered the boat Mr.. Channon and |
the usual crowd going ashore in her.
This island is higher than any ISL |
and in the Gilbert group or the Mar
shall group. Yet it is not a |
large one. smaller a good deal than |
any of the islands we have visited |
through the two groups. 1t has pop
ulation of about 40 or so souls. Very
few coconuts and pandanus on the
island; pumpkins, melons, papaia and
a species of taro grow here. Fish is
plentiful. They have a fishhook on
this island they make themselves. The
stem is made from a transparent rock
they get from a cave upland, the eye
or point being made from human bone.
Here a student from the training
school at Kusaie is located with his
wife as teachers, and by all accounts
they are doing good work. They have
a very nice little church here: in fact,
they have two. some two or three
miles apart. We left here three cou- |
pies we brought from Kusaie; they all |
belong to this island. One of them
drifted away in his canoe. was picked I
up by some vessel. and he fetched up at
Kusaie. He has been away from his
island home % years; he was glad to
get home once more.
The boat returned at $50 p. m. with
all the folks. They brought with them
the teacher Of the island and his wife,
who go to the training school again to
finish their education. leaving the field
In charge of one of the couples we left
there. We made all sail, stopped
steaming: wind from the westward;
close hauled on the wind After beat
ing for eight days with adverse wind
and current we got northeaster. We
then doomed away for Kusaie, maxi
ing it on the 25th of January, II DAYS
from Barnum Island. making the
round trip in "a days. On our arrival
we were glad to hear Mr.. DOuse (our
chief engineer we left in Kusaie sick)