The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1901-08-22
THE "TANIFA" OF SAMOA. :
by LOUIS BECKE..
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lNl close of an intensely hot dav.
set out from Apia, the principal port
OF Samoa, to walk to Il village named
Laulii, few miles along the coast.
| was bound on pigcon-shooting
trip In the mountains, and intended
sleeping that night at Laulii with
some native friends who were 10 ioin
me farther on. Passing through the
semi-Europcanizcd town of Matautu.
| emerged out upon the open beach.
With me was Il young Polyncsian
half-caste named Alan, about - wears
of age, and one of the most perfect
specimens of athletic manhood in the
South Pacific. For six months we
had been business partners in a small
cutter trading bctwo'n Apia and Sa-
raii-the largest island of the Samoan
group. Now, after some months of
toll, we were taking weeks holiday
together, and enjoying ourselves
greatly, although III the time the
country was in the Ihrocs of an in
ternecine war.
A walk Of a mile brought us to the
mouth of the Naivasa river, a small
stream flowing into the sea from the
littoral on our right. The tide was
high; therefore we hailed a picket
stationed in the trenches on the OPP
posite 'oank, and aske1 them in a ioc-
ular manner not to fire at us while
we were wading across. To our sur
prise-for we were both well known
to the oontending pasfics and on very
friendly terms with them-half
dozen men sprang up and excitedly
bade us not attempt 10 cross.
go farther up the hank and cross
TO our oio Qines) in a canoe" added
q young Manono chief, whose family
I knew we'll. "There is . tanifa about.
We saw it last night"
That was quito enough for us-for
the name tSnifa sent cold chill down
our backs. We turned 10 the right,
and after walking a quarter of mile
came to h~t on the bank at spot
regarded as neutral ground. Here we
feund some women and children, and
a canoe; and IN kss than five minutes
we were landed on the other side, the
women chorusng the dreadful fate
that would have befallen us had we
attempted TO cross the mouth Of the
river.
"E lima gaia Ie umi!" "'Tis five
fathoms long!") cried one old dame.
And n fathom wide at the shonl-
ders," said another lady, with shud-
der. ut hath come "a the mouth of
the vaivasa because IL hath smelt the
blood Of the three men who were
killed In the river here two days ago"
we'll hear the true yarn present
ly," said my companion ns we walked |
down the left-hnnd bank Of the river.
"There must be tanifa cruising |
about, or else those Manono fellows
wouldn't have been so scared at us
to cross"
As soon rs we reached the young
chiefs quarters we were made very
welcome, and were obliged to remain
and share supper with him and his
men-all stalwart young natives from
the little island of Manono, n lovely
spot situated in the straits scparat-
ing Upolu from Savaii. Placing our
guns and bags in the care of one of
The warrit RS, we took our seats on
the matted floor and filed our pipes;
and, whilst bowl of kava was being
prepared, Lilo, the young chief, told
is about the advent of the tanifa.
Let me first explain, before giving
he chiefs statement, that the tanifa
s somewhat rare and greatly dread
ID member of the shark family. Ry
many white residents it was believed
to measure from 20 to 2j
eet in length-as a matter of fact it
eldom exceeds ten feet; but its great
firth and solitary, nocturnal habit
lave invested it, even to the native
mind, with fictional powers of vo-
acity and destruction. However, al
hough the natives accounts of the
reature are exaggerated, it is really
dreadful monster, and is the more
dangerous to human life because of ;
he persistency with which it fire. {
uents muddy and shallow water ut ;
he mouths of streams, particularly {
fter freshet caused by heavy rain, ,
1hen its presence cannot be dis 6
erned. I
Into the port o. Apia there fall two s
mall streams-c lied rivers by the ,
zeal people-the Mulivai and the |
'aisigago. l was fortunate enough
0 see specimens of the tanifa on |
hree occasions, twice at the Naisi- r
ago and once at the mouth of the n
lnlivai; but l had never seen one v
nught, or even sufficiently exposed ]
D give an idea of it's proportions. n
lowever, many natives-particularl
n old Raratongan named Hapai. who n
we'd in Apia and was the proud cap n
lrer of several tanifa--gave me a re- VI
able description, which | afterwards L
,riiied. A tanifa ten feet long, Hapai f
ssured me, was an enormously bulky a
nd powerful creature, with jaws and \
,eth much larger than an ocean, C
aunting shark of double that length; s.
nd itS width onrncc fbo cbnp1Jaro 4