The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-10-15

together to build RATS of bamboo. on
which Insecure craft they may career
about the fishing ground in everybody's
wny.
1t is wei to go early to bed that last
night for the time 10 go out to the reefs
is 3 o'clock In the morning, and as that
time draws near there is no chance of
Sleeping in the turmoil which resounds
from the Samoan villages and from the
lagoon whore the canoes are assembling.
During the early hours of the night every
village has a Waterman whose duty it is
TO observe the stages of the tide and to
call the sleepers shortly before low water
There is little chance that he will fail in
his duty for there are volunteer assistants
who desire nothing better than to sit with
him through the slow hours of the night
with a small fire of cocoanut husks smofd-
ering on the sands of The beach conVen-
lent for toasting the tobacco leaves which
they roll into cigarettes in dry banana
leaves. In the houses of the sleepers some
arise at intervals to satisfy themselves OF
the tide and the wakefutness of the watch
man. When the time has come the watch
man raises his shout to wake the town for
the fishing. With unimpaired lungs ne
shouts the name of the village and its
chief and its maid over and over again
ne repeats his cry at full voice. Each man
as he awakes takes up the same shout and
the chorus grows until every man in the
Village Is SHOulI1R at the Top Oh MS lungs.
and the children, glad of a chance to be
noisy without reprooof run screaming
over the green and to every house. There
is more shouting as the men and women
drag their canoes down into the water
now very shallow in the lagoon. If white
people are going for the fishing, they must
share a seat in a canoe, for where the
paolo rise in the reef the water at this
stage will be TOO shallow for a boat With
more shouts the fleet announces its readi-
ness and then begins a boat song, in the
singing of which ala the feet joins. To
the tune of this song the paddles dig the
dark sea. scarcely lightly by the flag end
of the old moon, stiA far down in the east
ern sky.
The oldest of the wise old men lead the
way. Each one has certain spot in mind
where the worms arise most abundantly,
and TO eacn old man Is attached faction
which intends to reap the advantage of
his experience. From many other villages
canoe fleets are making for the same small
extent of reef The lagoon is filed with
the harmonies of the boat songs, which
always sound best when the time Is mark
ed by the snap of the loom of the paddle
against the side of the canoe. That gives
a chance for the expression of their STAG
cato character, which is lost when the
singers are timed by the swinging Of an
oar. AS the many fleets draw near the
chosen stretch of reef the confusion in the
dim moonlight becomes great and steadily
greater. Each one strives TO get into some
particularly favored pool and has TO meet
the good-natured determination of others
to keep him out There is loud calling,
shouts laughter, abundant noise of good
humor. From every side in the darkness
rise shrielSs suddenly cut short as some ca
noe is overturned and it's occupants are
spilled, possibly into shallow wafer, pos
sibly into some deep pool among the coral