Show i mm A larrow escape from WHILE SWIMMING IN THE SOUTH SEA how the natives build their homes we have been permitted to publish the following letter from mr brig smoot now filling a mission to the samoan islands to his parents AUNUU TUTUILA june 30 1889 dear parents in writing home I 1 find that every spare moment of my time must be taken advantage of as it is necessary to have a letter always on hand ready to send on a moments notice there being no regular mail boat we have to take chances in getting our letters to leone the tutuila mail station by sending them with the first boat that wo hear is going that way we had an elegant voyage all the way here and being sick only one day I 1 think I 1 could have thoroughly enjoyed my trip could I 1 have eaten the food and slept on the beas however I 1 managed to get along by paying the steward twenty five cents occasionally for something to eat I 1 spent my birthday saturday june on the ship and arrived at the place the mail boat meets us on the morning of monday june at 3 a m having lost a sunday as we find the samoans use new zea land time imagine our disappointment at not finding our people there to meet us we finally took the tutuila mail boat which landed us about a m at poloa a village made up of twelve samiaa houses and located on the sea shore which by the way is the situation and average size of all samoan villages the chief of the village received us very kindly and we were able through the rescued captain and a sailor of the lipsic Nip sic who were there to make known our business and desires we were shown to a samoan bath house situated at the end of a cocca nut avenue which consisted of a largo hole dug in the bed of a running stream after taking a good bath we returned to the house and found breakfast waiting us we had an extra good meal as we have since learned there being kalo chicken coffee and hard tack since thiet we havo had kalo for breakfast kalo bior dinner and kalo for supper and not always enough of that on account of the famine after breakfast wo were meditating what to do next when to our great joy we sighted our boat coming around a point in the distance some native having told the people brothers dean wood and beasley that we were there they having missed the ship as she passed in the night we were soon sailing for what we call home vatia that being twelve miles from poloa we were until 4 p m making the trip we found the folks all well and after a long talk of utah and her people we retired feeling pretty tired As samoan beds are cot the most comfortable in the world being made of rocks instead of feathers arose feeling rather sore after breakfast a bath was proposed I 1 warned the folks that I 1 did not know how to swim they said there was no danger so at 10 a m we were all prepared to take a bath long to be remembered by me brothers dean and solomon were the first to lead out they took the boat out and anchored it just outside the coral reef then called for brother wood and myself to come out to it brother wood led the way and I 1 followed I 1 found however tho coral was very sharp to walk on and as brother wood had now started to swim I 1 decided to return to the sandy beach but in turning around I 1 lost my balance and just than a largo wave cumo in which famed me into the middle of a large hole in the reef well I 1 was able to splash around and koop myself on top a short time and aa the hole was only about twelve deot deep I 1 would sink to the bottom give a spring and come to top again for breath As the people could not hear me call for help they supposed I 1 was in shallow water learning how to dive and swim however when I 1 finally had to give up and go under saving to myself oh lord thy not mine be done they decided something must bo the matter so brother dean being a very good swimmer started for me followed by the rest of the boys he reached mo after I 1 had been under about three minutes and found me black in the face in tho attitude of prayer I 1 was taken tu ahe shore some of the water rolled out of roe my breath was restored and after being worked with for about an hour consciousness was restored but I 1 was so weak that I 1 could not speak I 1 vas taken to the house changed administered to and immediately began 10 talk from that timo on I 1 improved very rapidly so much so that I 1 was able to walk around that evening dont worry it was tho testimony that I 1 had been praying for AUNUU july well I 1 suppose you are having ecat times to day so aro wo looking for enough food to keep us from going hungry we are in hopes the famine end the evening of my accident we held a testimony meeting among ourselves I 1 made my first address on the samiaa islands and bore my first testimony to the work in are engaged we were also set apart for our different fields of labor daring the evening which were as follows brothers dean wood solomon and myself to go to the principal island of the group and open up a mission there brothers lee remain on tutuila and brothers beasley and booth to go to manua As abia apia is situated on the island we are going to I 1 am in hopes of seeing what bread and meat taste like once in a while after spending the first week we were here wording on a meetinghouse at vatia brothers wood beasley solomon booth bennett and myself were sent on saturday to hold meetings the nest day brothers booth and beasley stopped off at aoa leaving brothers wood solomon bennett and myself to row around a to a small island with only the one village on and separated from alie main island by a channel about a mile and a half wide in going around that point I 1 realized for the first time in my life what a small boat in a rough sea with three inexperienced hands to the oars meant the rain was pouring down we had a strong head wind and the boat was almos i perpendicular at times while the great waves came dashing over the edge of the boat well wo were four hours rowing just as hard as we could going two miles wo arrived all safe and held two meetings the next day sunday monday we crossed the channel and met the other boys at abasi auasi they having walked from aoa so that we would not have to go around that point again brothers wood solomon and myself were instructed to stay at ainuu aunuu two or three weeks and the other boys were to return to batia so here we are studying like good ones and holding meetings on sundays and wednesdays food is scarce but wo get enough to live fat on dont think I 1 will be able to write any more this month as wo expect a man to take all of this months mail next saturday I 1 am dying to hear from home as it is over six weeks since I 1 heard a word remember me to all the folks with lovo 1 am your affectionate son APIA UPOLU samoan islands june |