Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1899-11-02
THROUGH THE SOUTH SEAS.
Idylhc Journey Recently Enjoyed by
Western Woman.

Ever since Charles Warren Stoddard
wrote his delightful south sea idyls
the charm Of the journey has induced
many travellers to try it's destinations
Mrs. A. A. D'AncOna, wife of a physi-
clan of San Francisco, has just added
such a delightful chapter to her ex-
periences. She made a trip to the
south sea islands on the Tropic Bird
which returned to port on Tuesday
last. This voyage has given Mrs
dAncona book full of the most en-
tertaining notes and cabinets of rare
things. She is q Wide-awake traveller
saw things with intelligent and alert
eyes and has the rare faculty of being
able to tell all about it in graphic mar
rative. She entered into the very
spirit of the country, dressed like the
natives during her stay among them
and got more out of her weeks there
than others have out of years. The
voyage, she says, from the time the
ship left San Francisco until she drop
ped anchor again in the home port was
like a sail upon still pond. Through
the balmiest of days the Tropic Bird
slipped down to the islands in thirty
one days, but the return trip because
the winds were tickle and would not
blow except in zephyrs, took thirteen
days longer. Mrs. d'Ancona enters a
protest against every book that has
been written about these far-away is
lands. She says that they do not give
the reader even a suggestion Of these
happy isles, where no one is busy
where the natives loll while the food
comes gratutiously or drift about on
the clearest Of water on fishing excur-
sions
Mrs. d'Ancona was surprised to find
that her fellow passengers on the
down trip were Mormon missionaries
She says that she had heard that they
were quietly going to the furthermost
corners of the earth, but she was not
prepared to find them looking for con-
verts among the contended natives OF
the tropics.
The first stop of the Tropic Bird
was at Taiohae in the Marquesas
group. A short stay there showed a
people far less interesting than those
Of the Society islands. They are the
ones who make the drink abundantly
OF the toddies prepared from a dis
tillatiOn Of the cocoanut. From this
least ospitable-looking of all the
islands," said Mrs. d'Ancona, comes
| the dreamy sail through the eighty
six Paumotu islands. The first glimpse
of them looks as if some great palm
fans were drifting in midocean. Com
| ing nearer, trees begin to take shape
and one would have to land to be
quite certain that the great palms
were not growing directly from the
water. On many of the islands the
highest point above the sea level is
but twelve feet, and the very highest
of all is but eighty feet. They are
just gardens in the ocean. Upon one
of them it is estimated that there are
more than 100000 cocoanut palms.
From the Paumotu islands Mrs. dan
coma brings some rare shells and {
| beautiful pearl. The longest stay
was at Tahiti, where Mrs. d'Ancons
dressed like the natives and wen
among them. She journeyed far into
the country from the main settlement
and found the natives, whenever they
could, reyerting to their original gras'
| dresses and interesting ways Of liv
ing.