Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1909-03-24
THE HIGHLANDS OE FIJI.
DIR. EDWORDS PENETRATES THE
INTERIOR OF VITA LEVUM.
Our Special Travelling Correspond
ent Describes the Beautiful
Scenery and Native Life of
the Fiji Islands.

Suva, Fiji, March 10:-Suva, the
capital of Fiji, and the most inn
pOrtant town in the group of ISL
ands, is reached in a few hours
from Levuka. 1t is situated on the
great island of Vita Levum which is
more than one hundred miles long
and which boasts of two rivers
large enough for steamers to pene-
trate good way up their courses.
1t is not my intention to write
about town life in any of the parts
of these islands where white men
frequent. The way to see these peo-
pie is to go to the interior and there
is nothing more delightful to one
who is seeking the strange than a
trip through the highlands of Fiji.
The scenery is incomparably lovely
and the natives, unspoiled by con-
tact with the whites, are kind and
polite and the soul of hospitality.
Away from the white man and all
his works, N the heart of mount
ainous country, and in the midst
of new, strange and interesting
scenes. the traveller enjoys a surfeit
of new sensations. Much of the
scenery is SO strange and interest
ing that 1t is almost crime to hur-
ry through. Solitary crags thou
sand feet high, looking like monu-
ments raised to some dead giant;
rolling uplands of guinea grass;
plains all dotted with quaint screw
palm, looking like trees on stills;
beds of scented pink orchids; dim
pathways shaded by tall tree ferns;
wildly fantastic purple crags torn
into strange shapes, and lastly a
sudden gap in the wall of rock and
we are looking down upon tiny
cluster of toy-like haystacks-but
they are not haystacks, they are
Fijian houses. 1t is a Fijian mount
ain village and here we make our
first stop for the night.
The village is surrounded by
pig fence of bamboo, and within the
fence is neatly cut lawn. Each
house is on it's individual mound,
and is built of bomboO poles with
thatched roof. At the end of each
house is raised dais on which are
Il number of mats This Is the
sleeping place. We are met by the
chief of the village and escorted to-
enc of the houses from which the
family is ousted. We unpack our
stores and make tea, and soon ma
tives come, bringing yams, bananas
and other fruits. After eating we
go TO the river and take a cool bath
and then the natives come and en-
tertain us with singing and dancing.
The news OF our journey through
the country had preceded us and
We found the people of every village
ready to receive us, with offers Of
food and lodging. 1t was with diff
ficulty that we restrained our car
riers from eating at every house.
Leaving the village in the early
morning, our horses cantered for
some hours along the top of ridge
surrounded by world of towering
peaks, strangely colored in black
and turquoise blue. This curious
cOloring is characteristic of the Fiji
highlands, and it is wonderfully
lovely. Brilliant as they are they
are rendered more vivid by con-
trast with the lines of black forests
that lie on the shoulders of these
sharp hills. Wild. lonely and al
most terrible, yet inexpressibly
lovely are these untrodden mount
aims of Fiji.
Later on We pass through BAIL
boo forests, the strong light sift-
ing down through the delicate fol-
iage producing a strange effect of
black and white, very closely re-
sembling a snowy wood in midwint-
er. Oranges, lemons and guavas
line the way and these are very ac-
ceptible during hot ride. Kind,
gentlemannered, old, white haired
men welcome us and it is hard to
believe that these men were canni-
balls in their younger days, yet ii is
not only true but they show us
their wooden bowls in which the
human flesh was served and the
utensils with which they prepared
it for the feasts. In the house in
which we sleep for the night feasts
of human flesh have been served,
and had we been here fifty years
ago, we would have been eaten in
stead of eating the chicken which
was served to us.
The most interesting part of the
trip through the interior is the ex-
treme hospitality of the natives.
They prepare feasts for us, organize
dances for us, call to us and ask us
to spend day or week with them.
1t is all spontaneous. and has moth
ing of the desire to make money
out Of us. 1t is very refreshing to
one who has always felt that every
attention shown him in strange
lands was for the purpose of ex-
tracing coin. I leave here for a
still stranger country Solomon
islands, where man is looked upon
as food.