Show A TRIP TO SAMOA by courtesy of brother charles H bassett we are enabled to publish the following extracts from a letter addressed to him by his son elder henry L bassett on a mission on the samoan group we boarded the tae alameda and left san francisco saturday june 1890 about p m A week later saturday J uly ath we reached reache I 1 honolulu we hunted up the headquarters of the latter day saints but the president was not in we waited awhile and were soon surrounded by a great many native women next door to the house was the meeting house and the women had gathered to hold bold a meeting one of them could talk some english and she treated us finely they gave us bananas and man goes we were invited into meeting and asked to speak we did so through an interpreter president hammond now arrived and came in to see us he was much pleased to meet us after meeting we went into the house to dinner we here met brothers fox and bailey two of the missionaries to the islands we here had a chance to taste the poi of which I 1 have heard so much but appreciate so little we went back to the town and viewed the principal points of interest which consisted in part of the kings palace f the I government buildings 11 c park and fish market there is also a place or street almost like chinatown in san francisco where the chinese and japs are actively engaged in briness bu iness and manufacturing shoes clothing fans baskets novelties etc bros hammond fox and bailey accompanied us to the wharf to see us off before we left port the king came on board our steamer he presented to murphy Murp by the cham pion featherweight pugilist of the world a flue fine gold headed cane we steamed out of the harbor at ten thirty on monday july at a m I 1 was ar roused from my bunk and told that samoa pronounced saw moah was in insight sight sick as I 1 was the I 1 should soon leave the alameda and reach terra firma inspired me with energy so that I 1 got out of my bunk with an agility that would do credit to an acrobat I 1 soon was up on deck gazing with satisfaction at the twinkling lights on the shore we had to wait some time for the boat to come out and get us so long in fact that I 1 began to have apprehensions as to our getting off presently one of the lights in the distance began to move and we e could see that our signal light was answered soon after we could hear very faintly at first the th e chant of the natives as they pulled away keeping time to their singing with the dip of their oars in a few minutes they had reached us and I 1 was to see a type of the people with whom I 1 must become so intimately ti associated there are several boat loades of them and when the ropes are let down from the steamer they come over the boat sides iu in hordes they are chattering and motioning to every one ime on deck trying to sell their wares which consist of fans baskets beads etc the baggage is soon all lowered and we five of us tas two As assyrian syrians one jap jai and two mormons cormons Mor mons climb down the rope ladder into the boat below we are soon sandwiched in amongst the natives who naked save a diminutive breech clout pull for the shore the natives can hardly be driven from the deck eck but still hang on notwithstanding the peremptory order the mate to get down you black scoundrels scoundrel al some of them jump into the sea and swim for the boats which are now far them and overtaking them jump in dripping with water two of them got into our boat which seemed already crowded to excess we take a goodbye good bye look at the alameda and utter a silent god speed on her journey westward to now zealand the natives now begin their singing again and we are swiftly skimming over the waves in response to the strokes of the dusky oarsmen oarsman oars men though it seemed but a little way from the alameda to the lights on shore it took quite a while to reach them it must have been two miles or more we did not land but went abkari the se sa hooner booner some distance from toe te shore having paid for being brought from the steamer to the schooner we bid our boatman 11 tofa and were soon soen dancing over the waves with full sas sails flying it not being light yet we could see but little of tutuila though not more than about one hundred yards from shore we were now bound for apia abia on the island of upolu a distance from tutuila of about sixty miles it usually takes from two to three days to make this trip but dame fortune smiled graciously upon us and we reached apia abia by ten the same night the postmaster came out in his boat for forth the mail email and consented to take brother and myself ashore we got in and after a pull of about three hundred yards we landed at apia abia brothers dean and booth were there to meet us it being so late we did not go home with them a distance or about three miles but upon the invitation of mr davis da vis we stayed at his house it was a pleasure to lie down once more and not be rolling and tossing on the deep we awoke with the day dawn and arose we went out of doors when it was light and took a look at the aipia apia harbor our eyes were greeted with the wrecks of the men of war that had been dashed to pieces on that memorable night in the worst storm on record the trenton stands out of the water all rl right ht but the vandalia is sunk aft W with only the spars out of the water one of them german boat was dashed to pieces entirely and is scattered along the shore like driftwood another lies on its side with its hulk high in the air soon brother W 0 lee a dear friend of mine at his old tricks of trying continually to do some one some favor came along on horseback leaving two other horses for us to ride out to the home of his and brother deans family a distance of about three miles most of the way was through a large plantation of cocoanut coco anut banana orange oradge and bread fruit trees and miles of hedge fence of citron and lime fruit they make a beautiful hedge and the long thorns on them make thern them almost as impregnable as a bard wire fence after breakfast we rode back to apia abia to get our things from off the schooner we reached apis and got a boat aud and rowed out in the bay passing within three or four fet of the wrecked men of war and at last reached the schooner only to learn that the captain had gone ashore the man in charge refused to let us have the things without the captains order we wrote abote and sent it ashore by a native who took it but did not return to tell us anything about it we waited a while and at last exasperated we pulled for the shore we found that the native had been there to where he was waa directed and the captain had receipted for the money we got thi the receipt and again rowed out to the schooner this time after a good deal of jangling we succeeded in getting our things it was getting late and we must now hurry burry as we had to row out by water to Fa fagalii Fag galil alii unload our baggage and row back to apia abia it was almost nigh tso we pulled with a will and after getting stuck on the rocks and sand bars several times we at last reached fagalii Fag alii exhausted at least brother and myself were we had such a large load that we sat all cramped cram ped up and had to row that way against the wind and tide we got back to apia abia just before dark left our boat got our horses and rode over the plantation again to Fa fagauli fagalii Fag galli alii on friday july brother dean and myself started for a trip to the other end of the island on foot we had bad extra clothing and some books to carry so iso had to have satchels or knapsacks to carry we started in the afternoon and walked about eight miles AK the island upolu is mountainous to in the interior and the villages are built along the shore short abort distances apart almost every three or four miles we traveled we came to a village the natives all know us and as we pass through their villages they run out or call to us to come in and rest their hous a are usually round and rise dome shaped at the top the roof comes down to within about four feet of the ground so when you go in you stoop your head in the daytime this four feet high space is open all around so you can see through the house from any direction at night it is all closed but one space about three feet wide they arrange it this wise they have cocoanut coco anut matting woven leaves hanging down all around which they tie up ia the aday lay time and let down at night the floor is covered with about three inches of coral rock small pieces over which they spread mats this constituted the floor chair table and bed the drinking vessel is a cocoa laut deprived of its interior and a small hole punched in the end they get the meat out of the nut in this wise they bore a hole in the end of the shell and pour out the milk refill with sea water and let it stand till the meat decays then they can pour it all out when ready for use they fill it with water and cork it you can imagine how easy it is to drink from a shell with an opening in it no larger than a lead pencil you can imagine the noise it would make sucking for the water and no a air r hole in the shell I 1 will here state injustice to the samoan that in exceptional cases they have a am ill air hole the samoans are very hospitable people and invite you to eat with them but usually complain that they have nothing very good to offer you after the table is spread and chairs up and knives and forks brought into play one usually agrees with them without arguing the point their diet consists of baked bananas kalo bread fruit cocoanut coco anut and fish they cook in this way they make a lire fire in a hole wrap the article to be cooked in banana leaves and lay it on the coals or on hot r rocks the fish are not cleaned but cooked as they are caught in the sea they all sit cross legged and I 1 suffer most excruciatingly crucia tingly trying to observe their etiquette I 1 make but a sorry out cut in the attempt and can only stand it for a few minutes when I 1 have to unfold my limbs and spread them all over the place they notice me try it and have a good laugh at my expense it is also amusing to them not to me to see me try to eat their food I 1 take a bite and chew it for a long time afraid to swallow it at last I 1 can hold it no longer so it must come up or go down so when I 1 think they are not watching me down it goes not so with the fish however I 1 can stow them away in unlimited quantities with amazing rapidity at first go at it very carefully assorting it but now I 1 eat pretty close up to the head the lava ava is a drink that they make when some noted chief or some one held in high esteem comes to visit them they usually make it by grating the root lava ava on a grater mixing water and some other herbs with it and serve it in a cup a half cocoanut coco anut shell highly polished they also make it this way they get some of the belles of the village to come in and they give the claval ava to chew they tho roughly masticate it being particularly careful riot not to swallow any of the saliva but spit it very carefully into a kind of bowl like our ow own n butter bowls only havin gefrom four to ten legs they then pass the water around when the girls take a mouthful and rinse their mouths so as to get all of the flavor of the lava ava land and then spurt it into the bowl after mixing and scraping out the thickest of the sediment you are greeted by clapping of the hands by them all which indicates that the lava ava is 18 ready the most beautiful jirl girl is then chosen by the chief to dispense the beverage the chief calls your name and the girl brings the cup of lava ava lowers it below the level of your face and hands it to you you take it and must drink it as you are closely watched by all present often they would only hand it to brother dean and myself besides the head chief we traveled along holding meetings and explaining the principles of our faith to interested listeners the whole race seem to be theologians each family has a bible in their language and they can and do read it and understand it as it is taught by both the catholics and protestants they are very devout wor and never think of go ing to bed without singing and praying each village has a native minister who has had four years free schooling in theology by white missionaries from england there is a village called malua through which we passed that is composed of these schools where hundreds are being taught theology th we made one baptism on this trip though I 1 think there are dozens of the men who believe in our faith and will embrace it before long I 1 had a hard time eating their fare and it brought on my old stomach ache I 1 had it all the way back we got back inja day ano ana a half a distance of about thirty five miles the folks said they hardly knew me I 1 had grown so thin when we arrived home we found that sister lee had given birth to a flue fine boy all were doing well I 1 stopped home a few days when I 1 went again to the same place with bro boothe we traveled on horseback so we did not have to take off our shoes and stocking to wade creeks or hire natives to carry us over them we had to jump our horses over posts set up upon on end to keep pigs from going through gates and some of them were three feet high we crossed some streams where the water came up ftp and met us when our legs were up on the horses necks we we took the liberty to tie our horses on th eGerman plantation at lalovi thirty five miles from home the germans took the horses they supposed them to belong to the natives we hunted around for them and walked eight or ten miles before we found them in the morning we got up early and went on our way homeward no we went clear through to our home Ta Tago golli lii we found brother lees wife very sick having had a we administered to her and spent two days fasting and praying for her recovery she is better at the present writing though far from well |