The Ocala evening star., 1922-11-27

prepared by the National Geographic
Society, Washington, d. Co
What, in 1.-The New Pacific" that the
Washington conference is believed to
have created, will be the future of
Frances island possessions nearest to
the United States-the Marquesas? In
a few years these fertile, lovely is
lands, now left practically alone, may
be treated as a geographical clean
slate, for the natives are rapidly dying
Off
The Spanish navigator, Mendana,
first discovered the islands with their
towering black cliffs, and sailed
through break into wonderful bay,
once the crater of a huge volcano.
What must have been his amaZement
is shared by the traveller today. With
in the bay, what contrast! Where
once telluric fires burned, the luxurt-
ant verdure of the tropics now over
runs the immense ampitheater in riot
Gus profusion. 1t is as If nature in
repentant mood were pouring out her
gifts with unstinted hand to cover the
scars and desolation wrought by vol
canic fury.
Tree and vine, flower and shrub,
cover the abrupt, almost vertical sides
of the huge basin and Chamber high
over ridge after, ridge of the knife
like hills; choke the deep ravineS and
valleys with their prolific mass Of
bloom and foliage, and, creeping In
rich abundance almost to the waters
edge, climb the black basalt cliffs tow
ering over the bay, thus seeking to
soften their harsh, broken outlines be-
meath a rank growth of vines and
mosSeS.
Great cascades, springing from the
living rock high on the mountain side,
leap over mighty precipices, cleaning
Like strands Of silver In the sunlight,
to be lost in the mysterious depths Of
dark gorges far below. These waters
wind through dark, tortuous ravines
and form the racing stream that tum-
bles swiftly between the twisting hills
into the steep valley Of Hanavave,
where it rushes over its rocky bed to
pass into the blue waters Of the quiet
bay.
Beyond the crescent Of white sand
that lies between the cliffs, banyan,
mango and breadfruit trees mingle
their brilliant foliage and blossoms
with the slender brown trunks and
waving frond of the pandanus and
coco palm.
Less than a century ago this forest
was thickly dotted with the brown
thatched huts of the Hanavavans, each
upon its paepae or platform of stone
constructed without mortar or cement
Thousands of these paepae, no longel
In use, cling to the vertical sides OF val
leys and ravines in a state Of perfect
preservation, the platform usually e
by 80 or 40 feet, level and unbroken
often walled up. 10 or 15 feet on the
lower side.
Beautiful Women, Fierce Men.
To describe the dainty, graceful
Maruuesanne as she unquestionably
was before Cooks advent may lay the
describer open to the charge OF exag
geration. But from Mendana to Ste
yenson. with Melville for good meas
ure, her remarkable beauty was q
source Ol pA45CE cAA oNA-AAcAS@~~s
When women possess beautiful, lux
uriant hair, fine eyes, perfect teeth
a slender, graceful form, skin OF vel
vet texture and unblemished surface
and these physical attractions arr
combined with vivacity of spirit anG
action, exaggeration becomes difficult
and unless all chroniclers OF the Is
lands have for several centuries agreet
to deceive the world, such was ths
Marquesanne; so she is today whel
sickness has not diminished her charm
The men were fierce, cruel cannibals
whose chief occupation, aside from th'
indulgence OF their amative proclfvi
ties, was the killing Of both men ant
women of other tribes for gastronomi'
purposes
The an-powerful tapu was the "laV
and the prophets" Of the MarqueSan