St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1903-06-24
EAST AFRICAN PORTS.
Tonga.
EDITOR CALEDONIAN:

Oar Els Salaam we sailed away from that
most picturesque port and came back to
Zanzibar, got more cargo, spices and
cocoanuts, had our hatch deck cleared OF
the throngs of natives who were all left
at Zanzibar and then we sailed for Tonga.
The steering in these ports is most diff
cult as there are so many coral reefs and
tiny islands. We passed the rich Zanz-
bar coast for miles, admiriug first the
mango groves, and then the wild and
beautiful native trees. Tonga is an
exceedingly pretty port and the adjacent
islands are beautifully wooded, but there
is an air OF unrest and the evidence OF
long occupation by either Arabs or white
people is altogether lacking. The town
is laid out neatly in German fashion and
there is a Roma, or fort, a post Office, a
large and fine customs house, eight Euro
pean stores, and several other public
buildings. There is fourishing German
mission school, and the boys are formed
into brass band, and play exceedingly
well. The natives thronged the after
noon market and we watched them
taking home sweet potatoes, meal, tiny
little bits OF meat on a wooden stick and
cocoanuts for their evening meal. There
is finely laid out garden, beautifully
kept, with some rare and choice speci
mems of the banana-eaIed palm, and an
imposing, massive bust of Bismarck. At
one of the stores were two very wild,
raging leopards in a cage, the angrlest,
most fiery beasts one would wish to see.
There was also a small, inodorous, and
very loathsome crocodile, and in stable
some lovely tame wild antelopes and
near by in pen, some funny wild pigs.
The storekeeper showed us several snake
skins and says serpents abound in this
wild, well-wooded country. He had one
python's skin, IS feet long, and several
skins of the hairy monkey brought down
from Kilimangard.
There is railway station here and
railroad runs some 80 miles or more into
the interior. In the distance are magni6-
cent mountains, and a DAYS journey
from the hot. malarial, tropical coast
brings one to lofty, healthful and pic
turesque region, up among the wild and
beautiful castellated cliffs and peaks
There are beautiful valleys, pretty
streams and luxuriance of floral vege-
tation fascinating in the extreme to the
naturalist, and probably many treasures
altogether new to science, could be
obtained.
The most imposing building is the hos
pital, of fine Moorish architecture in
part and beautifully adapted for its
needs. The German government has
been paternal and wise in starting these
excellent institutions and they must be
the means of saving many lives. The
civilians on the island live an indolent
life and there is no business rush and very
little competition, although this is one of
the most important trading centers, and
when opened by further railway COM
munication with the interior, should
prove hourishing, enterprising port.
| must not close without telling you
of the extraordinary impudence and
rudeness of the boatmen. We had some
difficulty in leaving the ship, because of
their incivility and determinat ton to
overcrowd, and when we approached
the shore to land, l stepped forward
The boat was some yards from the pier,
and two rough, impetuous black native
boys darted into the Watershed me
unceremoniously in their arms-holding
my hands and arms down and incIining
nay head forward at an alarming angle
and in most uncomfortable fashion,
and tossed me down on the steep incline
of the landing stage as if had been a
bag OF cocoanuts. Without waiting to
see if | was firm, they rushed of, and
down fell on my knees, erked forward
as they had left me. On our return to
the boat-1 had scarcely reached the pier
when five of them, dripping and wet,
bore down ruthlessly upon me, and in
spite of my struggles and most unlady-
like kicks and endeavorsto get free, they
again captured me bodily and put me
; into iar-away small boat. MIR. Gray
, had chosen his boat and boatmen and
rushed towards them to have me
brought to him, and again was picked
, up quite as carelessly as il | had been a
bale OF wool and tossed into the boat
The customs house officer did inflict some
sort OF punishment upon the man who
] had dropped me on the pier, but thes,
t people are so rude and rough, so giver
, to fighting, cutting and blows, that the,
J seem to have no tear. Something SHOULD
surely be done by the strong hand of tn
. law at all these coast ports to instil civ
ilty and polteness into these lawles
boatmen.
Sailing away carefully from Tonga anc
the coral reefs and islands on March 81
we soon entered the open sea, and tn,
next Sunday, March 20, we crossed tn,
equator at O'Clock in the evening anc
encountered cool head wind, and al
through the rest of our voyage we hav,
been fortunate with our winds. We hav,
y already passed Cape Guardaferi- Afri
cas- most eastern point; rocky peal
like lions head crouching down-anc
had glimpses here and there of the Afri
can desert and the bleak, sandy Somal
coast. MARY w GPAv
e On board the Kaiser,
}. April 8, 1908.