The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-11-25
SAMOAN THANKSGIVING.
IN TEE War OF TURrEY
IN TINE SOUTH SEAS.

f-W the BTU VI nv DAg-A ~
sam,oai Hope Of the IsIands-etranGe Veg
cables and Fruits-The Only BTinee Pie.
r ,Ip ths strict truth there was no reason
O,rtlcuior for giving thanks: no reason fur
o., thar the fact that the last Thursday in
SS.,mhar always seems to entail q duty on all
sIz.,,c,pa. wherever they may be. That duty
- AT n dinner which has a turkey for its
So,h,ne could be LESS seasonable In Samoa.
~, and O, the month Of November IL practical
i. ,hs beginning Of the bad season. The trade
Ina has stopped blowing by day, and that
lar. that the days have all the heat and
discomfort Of torrid summer in tho tropics.
yn,,s,d OF tho cool calm Of the evenings
81 the good season Of the year there
A.. at,ul winds at night. hot winds.
lind. that buster and seek out every
or.ylcs by which they may enter and
Slov ont lamps. Then 1t rains. 1t rains in
,nddsp torrents OF hot water. rains on iron
roots with such a racketthat not even By shout
Inc ran one communicate with another. Much
,nsce might he used UP In presenting tho de-
tails wherein the latter end OF n Samoan No.
,.mber differs from that New England type OF
m, same month out Of which grow the idea OF
thanksgiving dinner. Still The attempt was
vorth making. no matter what obstacles were
orrcsed by the climate and other features.
The central theme OF Thanksgiving. is the
turkey. But 1t Is difficult to get a turkey in
All. There were Just two on the beach. thin
hlrds. worn out by an unceasing struggle
against a climate which was not made for tur-
t.y,. They we're not for sale. The man who
owned them was engaged In a scientific effort
10 ~acclimatize them. BY incessant care and
unremitting vigilance to drive the two birds
under cover on the approach OF every shower
he had succeeded in keeping them alive for
several months. 1t was, after all. just as well
10 leave them where they were. They had
riyen all their time to becoming iacclimated:
they did not look as though they were At ma
terial for any sort OF thanksgiving, and science
had not been able to put any flesh on their
gaunt skeletons.
This e1perimenter in turkeys suggested that
I~fturkeys were wanted the only thing to do
was to send to New Zealand for them. and that
several should be ordered at once. for they did
not stand the five days ocean voyage very well.
Three turkeys were therefore ordered shipped
in good order. The order went DOWN to Auck-
land by the mail steamer going south in
the early part OF October. and the birds
were to be delivered five weeks later by the
same vessel on her return trip. That is the
very quickest despatch one can have when one
suddenly runs short Of some article which is
not to be had in Apia. As most things are not
to be had in Apia. it tends to cultivate patience.
not as a moral ornament but as a necessity.
In five weeks. less one day. the turkey con-
pignment was delivered. One had died on the
voyage. one was dying and the third was in a
bad way. There yet interviewed two weeks be-
fore the only Thursday on which Thanksgiv-
ing could lawfully be celebrated. II was a
problem whether it would be possible to keep
the third turkey alive for the ~eventful day.
The weather developed its worst phases for
the remaining bird, 1t rained every night.
That meant that 1t was of vital Importance to
keep the turkey under cover until the sun had
had IA chance TO dry the wet grass. Then it
%showered, once or, twice every day. regular
samoan showers, when the bottom drops out OF
meant that the TURKEY had to be chased TO cover
before its feathers. got wet. Then the bird
c%ocoanut. lie had never tried It with turkeys.
but he had known II to be used with great
success i9 fattening pigs, and he didn,tsee why
The cocoanut diet seemed to start off
T Tiih =, + o1 9sr: it The Esu '" a1s bo ate b, cocoa q
at least the boys a"eount was that he was
measured by Samoan Standards of hard work.
When the turkey was not gohbling grated and
chopped cocoanut from IA bowl it was wrestling
half ayoung nut all over the compound in its
eRdearors TO- get. out the delicate and blanc
InanseItke nlm OF meat But no matter how
manifest in any Improvement of its health or
Increase OF weight. Day after day the bril-
fitted to cope with the perils Of a tropical eli
mate or to render a satisfactory. account OF the
ehlel end oil turkey. The e~Nperimenter in tur-
keys was sympathetic. but he had no more sug-
Restions TO make than to say to give tho bird
oil the cocoanut il would eat and not to let it
ger It's feet wet.
But the turkey did get its feet wet. The
very day hefor" Thanksgiving a sudden shower
atmosphere in motion. In the turbulence Of
the coming storm the turkey lodged, all Efforts
pest was passed the bird was discoveredin the
treacherous shelter of a dripping tree. its
GElEpn2Ge drenched. its feet undeniably, wet.
The disaster was too great for remedy. Every
authority had made positive assertions that
vet feet turned out fatally for turkeys in
2tdrying in hot cloths was OF the least effect:
NE bird died the day before the feast. Then.
Agte', with, the comment OF the sagacious
height or when he said:
II that turkey had lived you might have ac-
him he was too thin
There is one very wise and fortunate dispen-
been much occupied, When shaking down on
ssfHinmnoSaa all IT, DISADVANTAGES one advantage
rHpTeo N. mat Is the pig OF the islands. Ito
Iig ls a nuisance at times, Human ingenuity
has "a yet to master the problem OF keeping him
tEenGe which he cannot overieap. There is no
o o'afa when he cannot worm q way through
hafhed wire which does not invite the island
tgg, 70 tickle his hide with its points.
;nmnn that feature Of disadvantage apart.
10 ts m ssmoaH pig is a boon and 3 blessing
IN endIess!s. cycle of things in tin cans. then
SSdI PIX II apy sudden demand arises to tax
,rpsptallty. again kill n pig. When in doubt. as
is Il wdni s. rules say Of trumps, kill a pig: The
,egetabIe ieeder and for the most part it lives
IN cGcGanuts Such a diet is made manifest in
NV. POINTS and spare ribs, which are far differ
rs iron the greasy meat called pork In more
tie."hlous communities. 1t seems a mockery
,,SSsoPn with the tale Of a Thanksgiving when
Tne at,,lmportant turkey got wet feet and died.
S nno may manifest rapturous enthusiasm over
ccT 1It pork Of the islands. yet It is dim
the occs sHoSe yn y seem a timely Wand for
d %sae 70 keep its feet dry. pork must DO. Pork
SUts wei when cooked after the native Samoan
H. tEs.e OF cooker. The islanders themselves eat
", ~, meat very rare, but the method OF cooking
SE1uIs 10 success when carried on longer than
c"nkis cooks think proper. The method Of
nj "'TTE Is 10 bake in all earth oven or heated
srinS me n, dressed pig. wrapped in a tight COW
"pnH h9t rocks are hcaped about. and over II
fb ay rn Is raised Of dry and heated earth, All
vii III Iest - patience: time and the hot rocks
cStbblSke the meat 10 perfection in the course