Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1902-07-02
TRADING IN SAMOA.

TRADING IN SAMOA.
II In Accompanied by a Marvellous
Dialogue.
Two youngsters In dirty lavalaVas
come and sit on the veranda. waiting
until the trader finishes his breakfast.
They keep up a constant chatter, as
children do the world around; they ex-
plain to one another out Of their ignor-
ance what the white man does with all
the strange gear about his room. Time
is no object to them; not for any Sa-
moan does time exist. They could be
content thus waiting for hours. When
the trader has finished his corned beef
or his salmon: when he has chopped
the navy plug on the corner Of the ia
BILE and has broken 1t fine for his pipe
by grinding it in his left palm with the
ball Of his right thumb, when his pipe
is alight; he is willing to traffic with
his small customers. Take this as
sample Of native speech and native Gus
tom:
What Is 1t, then that you two want, y
he asks in the native speech, that you
sit on my portico beginning at sunrise
and ending at all day."
20 Apa, it is thus, and we two will
declare the truth to thy highness."
use not the high-sounding words OF
the talk Of chiefs; call me not excel
lency, nor yet highness, for by that
know that you two are come to beg.
That thing do you two tell what you
want, and quickly"
20 Apa, smooth out the wrikles from
thy heart, but listen. In the insignifi-
cant hut of the family of US two there
is tobacco, anG we have plucked the dry
leaves Of the banana. But there Is not
fire. That thing have we two come to
ask of thy excellency, afford to US two
the fire scratcher, just one box, for
great is the poverty Of the family OF us
two"
20 pig-faced, 1t is the lie, and you
two come to beg. 1t Is true. 1t Is right
that you two buy fire scratchers; I do
not give away the articles Of wealth.
lest too become poor while you two
have all things"
Thou knowest, o Apa, the great
poverty Of all this Samoa. and that we
too are poor people and Of no account
We have not wherewith to buy. But
because great is the love Of US two to
thy excellency we two give to thee the
loving fruit Of the hen, one"
mot so Is it true, Dirt and Pigs. II
you two love me, give me the fruit OF
the hen, two. Give them now to me
and my blackboy thing shall look
through them at the sun, and he shall
spin them on this floor, and he shall
float them in water lest they be bad
20 Apa, thou art wise to drive hard
bargain and Samoans are foolish. Here.
then are these two fruits Of the hen;
now give to us two the box of fire.
scratchers."
Every Samoan, small or great will
beg. The villager of the hamlet In
which the white mans house Is placed
turns up at sunset with gin bottle and
asks kerosene for his evening lamp.
The king attempts to get money out of
the foreign officials Of his kingdom. 1t
Is, indeed, a custom of the Polynesians.
always giving up the treasure to him
who begs and Immediately replacing 1t
by begging in turn. The Samoan Is
quite sharp enough to attempt to ex-
tend the custom to the white man, all
the more because 1t is not white-man
custom to beg those things which the
Samoan has, q profitable transaction
and one-sided.
Meanwhile there Is small business 60
ing on; the trader cannot sit forever
tilted back on his veranda, watching
the empty straits. A fisherman beaches
his canoe and offers a fish-a mullet,
most likely-on the broad side Of his
paddle; for the agreeable change of
diet some trifling gift Is ample and sat-
isfactory. Seeing this success, every
fisher in the fleet stands about the We
randa and pokes out into view his pad
die and fish: they seem to think the
traders capacity for fresh fish to be
that Of an aquarium. Some little cash
has dribbled into the till as now one and
then another bought some salmon or
the round tins Of corned beef, which
the Samoans call pisupo. Sixpence Is
the lowest unit of value. If any arti-
Gle Is too cheap to stand the price of
sixpence (and there are very few such
at these trading stations), the Samoans
must buy a quantity or else take
matches for change.
The islanders have the knack of MAX
ing fire seemingly without exertion, by
rubbing two sticks together, but they
are keen after matches, although the
Swedish safety matches made in Japan,
which pass current in the Pacific ocean
are probably the most incombustible
matches made, certain not to light on
the box and extremely uncertain to
light on It, All this petty trade spreads
itself lazily along throughout the MORN
ing. Sometimes the payment was in
small silver coin, each piece snugged
away in it's knot in strip Of CLOTH
Sometimes again it was necessary toI
weigh the basket of copra proffered In