Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1901-03-07

and the bananas and pineapples
turned yellow as you looked at them.
l looked up at some cocoanuts and
said.
You have cocoa?'
The man said.
Want nut?' and, springing UP, he
ran to tree and, with his hands
just on the back of it and his back
bent like a lineman climbing tele-
graph pole, he put his bare feet
against the tree and ran up it as easily
as monkey could do. Then when he
had reached the top he held on by one
hand and wrenched off a big nut and
threw it down. He reached the
ground nearly as soon and, going to
the hut, brought stick about three
feet long and sharp at both ends.
Taking this in the middle with both
hands he stuck it into the ground and
then, taking the cocoanut, he raised 1t
up and stuck it on to the sharp end
of this stick. prying off the outer fiber
and soon had it clean down to the nut.
Then. taking bolt of iron, he broke
hole into the top of the nut and
brought 1t to me to drink. 1t was full
of sweet, cool liquid which was very
refreshing. drank what l wanted
and then handed it to the woman who
took a good sip and then gave it to
the boy / offered to pay for it but
the man said,
No money. Me friend
81 had one piece of the native cloth
already but the woman brought out
more pieces and, selecting niece
large one, handed it to me. | said |
had one and did not wish to buy any
more. The man said No buy. Me
house. Me friend The woman kept
talking to me in a language that |
that they wanted to be friends and
wanted to give me these things.
They sent the boy for a pineapple and
bananas and gave them to me. |
was at my wits ends to know what to
give them, as they did not seem to
want money. l found in my little
book some postage stamps and gave
the boy one of each. English, Ameri-
can, German and Russian. This
seemed to please them much. Then
found that / had little pocket
comb with me in case, and | gave
this to the man, showing him that
comoed my hair with it. He gave it
to the woman and she held it in her
hands and was much more satisfied
with it than | had expected. | saw
chickens running about and said, You
have hens? and pointed to them.
He said, Fowl. Want some?' and,
picking up stick as if to kill one, |
made them understand that | was not
hungry.
| 'As it was now getting towards
evening | started back towards the
ship. They all shook hands and
wanted to give me more things and
the man insisted on going back with
all the way and carrying my things.
| i had to pass through crowd of
natives going back and they came up
and offered their trinkets for sale,
never seeming to be offendid because
did not purchase. Often u would
feel one touching me lightly on the
arm or shoulder and saying, You me
friend
by the landing were a lot In
swimming and playing in the water
like children. They would throw the
water over each other and laugh and
shout but not one rude action did
see. None manifested any i'm
patience or anger. My friend who
boatman, Sam, and, as l shook hands
and said goodby to him, could hear
his last words,
You, me friend
Il have never before seen such a
joyous people as these natives seemed
to be and l venture to say that they
are much happier now than they will
be in few years after they have
seen more of the so-called white
mans civilization and have become
drunken christians. AS our steamer
had goods to unload for the new gov
eminent works we did not get away
until midnight and all the long even
ing those native boats and people
crowded about us, laughing, singing
and handing up their wares for sale.
There were the native cloth and mat
ting, long strings of shell Deeds, war
clubs decorated with ivory and bone,
spears and sharks teeth. Then they
had fruit by the basket and when no
one would buy more the girls would
stand up in their boats and throw
oranges and bananas up to the passen-
gers. When one would fail to make
a catch and get hit in the face they
would laugh and clap their hands. If
one now and then fell overheard as
| she was walking about in or on a boat
all would laugh and dozen ready
hands be stretched out to pull her
back in again. | saw little children
swim from one boat to another and
they were so small that they looked
| from the steamers deck like frogs I'm
| the water and when they got to a
boat a mother or father would reach
out and pull them in, always laughing,
always happy. They did not seem to
be at all selfish el,her, for when some
boat could not get up near enough to
show its wares they would pass them
| ~, frovn hoaf IN heat and than -