Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1909-01-15
TRIP TO THE ORIENT
tarence E. EdwUrds Touring the
Eastern Countries.
III ID oO' SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.


INFERRED w. WRITTEN IN WEEK
LY LErrhR''yHIcH WILL Ap.
Raiatea, August d aoorl,
in the morning when Thu o,,i
capped, jagged peaks and 80 49,
slopes of this beautiful island he
in sight. The highest peak reach
es 1889 feet into the air, and it is
clothed in the greenest verdure
clear to the top. A belt of cocoa
nut trees fringes the beach, and is
lets covered with palms, mongoes
and odd-looking shea oaks are scat
tered about. As we approach the
island great clouds of spray break
over the reef and it seems as if
there was no passage for the ship,
but the vessel threads her way
through the reef and makes her
way up to the wharf 1t is a tab
leau for poets dream. Crested
wavelets, white as snow, cover the
water, contrasting with the intense
blue Of the ocean, the brown of the
coral in the depths below and the
deep green Of the shallow region
near the shore.
The wharf presents a scene to be
found only in this part of the world.
Women and girls with flower
wreaths, red skirts and hats of
their own weaving, mix With men
dressed in gayest pareus, theprom-
inent colors being blue, red and
yellow, relieved with q sprlnkllng
of white, Great piles of oranges
on one side, cocoanut baskets on
the other, and dozens of pictur-
esque catamarans drawn up on the
sand of the beach, make picture
of constant delight. 1t is picture
of intense good nature, animation
and love of life under a tropic sun,
and amid such surroundings of eX-
quisite and novel beauty as to i'm
pei ones soul to thank God for the
JOY of being in such place.
Raiatea is considered sacred by
the natives, and on hills are the
mummied remains of a numerous
line of kings and queens who de-
parted this world in years gone Dy.
1t is impossible to do justice to the
scenery and environments in ordi-
nary language. One feels that he
should have an extra stock of adj
iectives. In fact one must 60 and
live and love and appreciate this
place for himself. No one can tell
what it is that is of such charm.
Pacific island life is unique, the
people are unique, their songs are
unique, and it is only when one is
amongst it that it can be fully real
ICED,
Here the beach is strewn with
cocoanut husks, lemon, orange and
banana peeling, and there is a gen
, eral air of uncleannesS, but if you
look closely you will find nothing
that approaches filth. Great land
crabs, looking for all the world like
impso Satan, eye you malevolently
as they back into their holes, hold
ing their giant claws out in front
of them as if to ward off danger.
/ These claws, by the way, make a
delicious salad, These creatures
are the scavengers of the island,
and they keep everything perfect
| ly clean. They are to be found IN
myriads, and are seldom molested
owing to the good work they do i'll
cleansing the streets of things that
might not be so pleasant to look
upon as cocoanut husks,
This island is famous FORTS beau
tiful shells, and all along the reef
one may find them by the thous-
ands, some being Of such exceed
ing beauty that the natives hold
them as sacred. These shells are
of many colors, and the small ones
are beautiful in shape as well. The
natives string them in long festoons
II 1oooroto themselves with them