ROUND SAVAII.

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Volume 2, Issue 101, 6 September 1879, Page 3

ROUND SAVAII.

KKOM on: si-hi HI. I OUHKSI'oSIIKN ti \ mi. No. 11. <in Wednesday tl'.e 23rd, Mr. Cornwall and I started soon after breakfast <n horseback to Matautu. <»n pnssiii" through Saf line, which is a very lar-e town, I was particularly struck with the size of the houses and the cleanliness and the neatness of the town The beach is of a beautiful white sand, not a weed of course to be seen; and betweeu the sea, at a little distance above hi'di water mark, and the houses—which are built in a line with each other, are planted two lows of bread-fruit trees, which have the double effect of forming a pretty and comparatively shady avenue, and nullifying the glare of the sun on the white sand. The bread-fruit are the only trees allowed to grow in the town,—that is between the row of houses and hijjh water mark. About the centre of tile town there is a good broad and deep fresh water river which empties into the sea. I Ills Wat • 1:'. 111, IK: (-J : :M 111 (l •■ it 1-: quite celebrated for miles around, and it is credited with being the coldest water in Savaii—excepted of course the water in the various caves which thotind ill the neighbourhood, and iuto which the light of the sun never penetrates. All the men n tiering some two hundred

tion of a l'i-.v uM fossils, nml suiuuO'iiiit-uli ] members, were away up to windward —.Saleauhi—with tin] men fr.im the rc-t I of the towns mi this side, waiting fui .t ' lull in the -twig trade wind which was blowing night niul day, to enable til ■in to cross over to l'[ oln and join the Government partv. After passing through Safiine the tra'e!; begins lo a—i,d, and is so steep and rugg. d that it is neces-arv to dismount and l-ad tlie horse, i found the work of asccu-lin.- a [in tty sti I'piece j of husiness i.oth l',.r my-ejf and tie- ' traek, which is i.airow, in - phi -. ■ | only -i very few i'.-.-t from a pr.-cioi c. b\ lime with eit an\ cxei-rio-.i uh ite-.. Arrived at the Mi'ni'uit ho.v. v.-r, :!.-.() feet ahovesea 1-v, 1.--; j„- vie;. ;v- '., of combing. On looking to the i -ft, a I complete 'vi. w of the town of Safi n - : present! itself to groat advantage ; wiiile j to the right and limit is one lull"; hrok m expanse of water shining and glittering j ill tie- ravs of the sun like so much li- j quid silver. On remounting, the track i takes ns through some plantation,, "some prolific in coc'oanuts and l.ananas, and j tin ii..- into a dense, rieii hush, from 1 which, even at that altitude, the o-a is eoliipletelv hidden from view. We arc soon desc'elidhi" to sea level again; hut it is s , gradual as to he almost im t»-r----rcptihle. At the end of a two mile caut.-r through the most luxurious vegetation we were hailed up by the bounilary wall of the town of Safotu. Aftsr some little trouble we succeeded I 4. ;tin.; our ungs tn jump the wall, -an operation whiciicertainlyreqnires [latienee and which vividly brought to my recollection the similar experiences of the author of "A ride tn Malua." Safotu is another huge town, and, like the rest very neat and clean. There is a large Catholic Church, and a pleasantly situated residence for the local priest 1111 wl 1 we called and spent a very pleasant halfhour. In this town we found the natives in a state of great excitement, all under arms, and Messrs. (ioden'my and Son's schooner, the Apia, at anchor inside the reef. All along the track we met numbers of armed men coining in to Safotu; some of the companies numbering over a hundred, and accompanied by a musical band of one drum and a penny whistle. At a little distance from the town we had just left the scenery is grand in the extreme, anil fairly defies an adequate description. The tiaek runs for some distance along the I. Iso of a huge and steep mountain which is completely clothed to its summit with one unbroken mass of vegetition. After n pleasant canter along the beach anil through the bush we opened out in tie- town of Mataiitu, in about the

centre of which is the residence of the Rev. < leorgo Pratt. This gentleman win) lately left for England, is oue of the London Nfission.ii> Society's labourers in this field, and enjoys tin l reputation of being one of tin- best liugiiists in the Western Paoih'o A Sainoan dictionary a socoud edition <>f which has lately been issued under tho editorship of the Rev. S. Whitmee, was a compilation of this scholar. Travelling some mile further, or more, we arrived at the residence ot Messrs. Uod.-llYov and Sun's principal agent, Mr. Charles Brunt. Here wo , baited for a couple of hours, duriiigf which time there was an almost unbroken stream of armed men passing d.wn the road from Saleaula. fhe bouso is a large one: and there art numerous outhouses, including. <«f cuius.', a large copra store, this being Urn prineiplo receiving station of Uoßsn, Wodelirnv and Bon. II bulldingi with the dwelling lions •, stand on ■ Urge piece of ground between

I . na i i til ' . . ■• wn.ch grollad is e .•■!■. enclo ibt a tubsttntial f-iu-e \\V were a- hospitably entertained as. ew of our uueX' ■ . i i | ... . • cOaW possibly ex| i and, i . . e, were treated to a ~,.! bowl "i native " ava." Mi. Brunt .■: very kindly gave mo two or three kinds of medicine which he thought might affect a euro of my long standing diseawi—-chronic dysentery,— but, unfortunately they proved of no avail, though 1 do not thank him any thu leas for his kindly effort*. After noting ourselves and nags, wo started ho our quarters. Matautu was was full of th« "Government" soldiers and all along tin- track to Safotu, groups of men were waiting for orders. The cause of all this excitement wan that on that morning tin- German schooner Apia. had dropped anchor inside the reef at Safotu, having on hoard no less a personage than Malietoa, and six of his followers. The fact of the Apia cnteriug those waters caused cousiderable surprise, and led the natives to wonder what she wanted there, as her owners have not got an agent in the town, nor has the craft ever before anchored there,— the station from whence Messrs. Godeffiroy'ii copra is shipped being at Matautu. Jt soon became known however, who was on board, and the news was carried up to Saleaula like wild fire. Malietoa then sent a messenger ashore asking the town to secede from the Government to his party. The only peg upon which he could have hung any hope that the town would accede to this request was the fact that an inferior hranchof his family reside there,—and who have since been driven from the town. The chiefs met, and sent a positive refusal ; and at the same time telling him that be had better clear out or they would take him prisoner. On finding this advice was not accepted, tie 1 chiefs of Saleau'a, Matautu and Safotu held a meeting, an I at first resolved to send three tuiinuiuluos filled with armed men to dnis the vessel on the lieach, set fire to her, and kill Malietoa. In passing along through Matautu i saw the departure, of the men, and hurried on to Safotu to so.; the result. but, happily, better counsels prevailed, and messengers were sent to intercept the party, order two of the taumauluas to leturn while those in the third one were to hoard the schooner

and bring Malietoa ashore. I arrived at Safotu in time to see this crowd board the schooner, noon doing which a demand was i muslin', ly made for XLdietoa whowas 1., k.-il up i'-i tie- cabin. The master of tiie ;•• -.-; s.outlv refused to deliver up His ,-;,.,-. mid [Minted !•■ tii German ,i.i l! .'. . r ' 1- ;■-.,..; in aj.j.o-t of hj [, - . L.-f tie-- [, -clings. .'hi-- 111.; -ek ~e e..'i,i:, d - ... What else culld lie do but .-übmir. His deck was ei-owd-d witii ne-ii in ware, st line, armed with cities, clubs, knives and nifo'otis, wiiile 011 the beach and ill the neighbourhood time were a thousand or mine men similarly armed. The do u- was therefore unlocked and .Mali I ia and his six followers conveyed ashore in triumph. Having seen all that was to be seen we pushed on our way. reaching our quarters al dusk. Tl uniform" of these men consists of a red cloth lava-lava bound round the waist with while, and a red cloth head dress, while some'of the big '•swells" go ill for decorating the hair with shells and flowers, and shell bracelets, necklets and leglcts. The Indies were oiled in the most approved kanaka fashion, and their chucks and foreheads wern plastered with red flowers. Of course they knew then- was no lighting to lie done" so they looked particularly imposing in the absence of any enemy except an old man and his six unarmed servants. One thousand to seven. Brave warriors certainly! Mow Malietoa was a few .lavs afterwards recovered from his captors by 11.1. G.M. ship Bismarck; hj iw the towns on that side were lined 52000 for insulting the German ling has already been told in this journal.' It was quite all exciting w.-ek for the natives on the.north side of the island. (To be continued.)