HOW A MAN GETS WELL.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIV, Issue 138, 7 December 1907, Page 14

HOW A MAN GETS WELL.

Convalescent Husband (first day after crisis): "Have I been very, ill, dear?" Wife: "Very, very ill." j Husband: "F suppose it will bo months before I shall bo able to get to town again?" Wife-: "Not so long as that, I hope, dear. Bu6 you mustn't talk. Try and sleep." Husband (second day aftor crisis): "You must bo tirod out watching over me, dear!" Wife: "A little tired: but I am so thankful the danger is past." Husband : "You just wait until I got out again, and if I don't surprise you with something my narao is not John Smith. And the doctor, too. ,He is a wonderful man, to have brought mo round as he has. I'll remember him. I suppose a connlp of weeks from now will see mo all right again?" Wit&: "Possibly, clear; But don't worry about such matters. Let your mind rest." Husband (third clay after crisis) : "Whi'L docs tho doctor say about mo now?" Wife: "Ho says you're doing splendidly, darling." Hushund : " Doing splendidly! Docs he call it doing splendidly to lie hero j like a log, and pick out facos from tho papor on Iho wall .'" | Wifo: " ['here, there, dear, 'don't be unreasonable. Everything that is possible is bring ilonc for you." Husband (fourth day after crisis) : I "Isn't/ it about tirno that idiot of a doctor was here." Wife : "He will bo here presently." llu&baml : "Piesonlly! You aro uorso Ih.ni he is. I'm goin£ to Iho office next, week, and don't let thero bo any mistake about it " And ho ili'l .so, nnrl thon he wont back, nnd stayed thorn for six weeks he could leave Jjio hgujse.

TRAVEL AftD ADVENTURE. III.— AMONGST TITE HEAD HUNTERS. (By Louis Becke.) (All Eights Reserved.) I have always had an affectionate regard for the Samoan people, with whom I passed some of the happiest years of my life. I have lived among them in peace and in war, have witnessed many chivalrous and heroic deeds, and yol# have seen acts of tho most terrible cruelty to ihe living, tho mutilation and dishonouring of tho dead killed in combat, and other deeds that filled me with horror and repulsion. And yet the perpetrators were all professing 'Christians — either Protestant or Jloman Catholic — and would no more think of omitting daily morning and evening prayer, and attending service in church or chapel every Sunday, than they would their daily bathe in tho sea or river. Always shall I remember one incident that occurred during the civil war between King Malietoa and his rebel subjects at the town of Saluafata.The ok>, or trenches of the king's troops, had been carried by the rebels, among whom •was a young warrior who had often distinguished himself by Jus reckless bravery. At the time of the assault I was in the rebel lines, for I was on very friendly terms with both sides, and each knew that I would not betray the secrets of tho other, and that my only object was to render aid to the wounded. This young man, Tolu, told me, before joining in the assault, that he had a brother, a cousin, and an uncls in the enemies' y trenches, and that he trusted he should not meet any one of them, for he feared that he might turn pala'ai (coward) and not "do his duty." ,He was a Roman Catholic, and had been' educated by the Marisfc Brothers, but all his relatives, with the exception of ono sister, were Protestants — members of the church established by tho London Missionary Society. An American trader, named Parker, and I watched the assault, and saw the place carried by tho rebels, and went in after them. Among the dead was Tolu, and wo were told that he had s^ot lihnself in- grief at haying cut down his brother, whom he did not recognise. Now as to my own weird experience. There had been severe fighting in the Fangaloa district of the island of Upolu, and many villages were in flames when I left the port of Tiavea in my boat for Fangaloa Bay, a few miles along tho shore. I was then engaged in making a trip along the north coast, visiting almost every village, and making arrangements for the purchase of the coming crop of copra (dried cocoanut). I was everywhere well received, by both Malietoa's people and tho rebels, but j did but little business. The natives were too occupied in fighting to devote much lime to husking and drying cocoanuts, except when they wanted to get money to buy arms and ammunition. My boat's, crew consisted of four natives of Savago Island (Niuc), many of whom are settled in Samoa, where they havo ample employment as~boatmcn and Bcamen. They did not at all relish the sound of bullets whizzing over tho boat, as wo sometimes could not help crossing the lino of fire, and they had a horror of travelling at night-time, imploring mo not to run the risk of being slaughtered by a volley from tho shore — as how could the natives knov/ in the darkness that i we wero not enemies? Fagaloa* Bay is deep, narrow ond very beautiful. Small villages a few miles apart, may bo seen standing in tho j midst of grooves of coconut palms, and orange, banana and oread-fruit trees. ! and everywhere bright mountain streams of crystal water debouch into the lovely bay On Sunday afternoon I sailed into the bay and landed at tho village of Sama- | mea on the east side, intending to roI main for the night. Wo found tho j people plunged in grief, a party of robels had surprised a village two miles I inland, and ruthlessly slaughtered all j I the inhabitants as woll as a party of nearly a scoro of visitors from the town of Salimn, on the west side of the bay. So sudden was tho onslaught of the rebels that no one in tho doomed village escaped except a boy of ten years of age. After being decapitated, tho bodies of the- victims were thrown 'into the houses, and the village, set on fire. Tho people of Samamea hurriedly set out to pursue tho i-aidiiig rebels, and an engagement ensued, in which tho latter were badly beaten, and fled so hurriedly that they had to abandon all the heads they had taken the previous day in order to save their own. The chief of Samamea, in whose houso I had my supper, gave me many details of the fighting, and then afterwards asked mo if 1 would conic and look at tho heads that had been recovered from the enemy. They were in the "town house," and wcie covared over with sheets of navy blue cloth, or matting. A number of natives were seated round tho house, conversing in winspors, or weeping silently. "These," said the chief to me, pointing to a number of heads placed apart from the others, "are the heads of the •Stilimu. people — seventeen in all, men, . woman, and -three children. Wo havo sent word to Salimu to tho relatives to como i'or them. I cannot send them myself, for no man can be spared, and wo havo our own dead to attend to as well, and may ourselves be attacked at any time." A few hours later messengers arrived from Salimn. They had walked along the shore, for tho bay was very rough | — ifc had been blowing hard for two i ilays — and tho wind being right ahead, they would not launch n canoe — it would j only havo been swamped. Taken to sco the heads of their relatives and friends, tho messengers gave way to most uncontrollable- grief, and their cries wore so distressing that JL went for a walk on tho bcaclx. When I i e turned to the village 1 found the visitors from Salimu, and Iho [ chief of Samainea, awaiting to intor- [ view me. Tho chief, acting as their i spokesman, asked mo if- I would lend them my boat to take the heads of their people- to Salimu. lie had nut a singlo canoo lie could spare, except very small I ones, whicli would bo useless in such weather, whereas my whaleboat would inako nothing of it. I could not refuse their request — it would havo been ungracious of me, and it only meant a half -hour's run across the bay, for Salimu was exactly abreast of Saniainoa. So 1 said I would gladly j sail them over in my boat tit sunset, J when 1 should be ready. The heads were placed in baskets, and reverently carried down to tho j beach and placed in the boat, and with our lug-sail close reefed, we pushed olf just after dark. There w-ero nino persons in the boat — the four Salimu people, my crow of four, and myself. Tho night was starlight and rather cold, for every now and then a chilly rain squall would sweep down from the mountains. As wo spun along before tho breezo no one 3poko, except in low tones. Our dreadful cargo was amidships, each basket being covered from view, but every now and then tho boao would ship some water, and whoa 1 J.old one of my men to bale out, ho did so, with shuddering honor, for the water was much bloodstained. When wo were more- than half-way across, and could see the lights and fiios of balimu. a lain squall ovoitook * Pionon«re«l "YVlunguloa," the same j£ord ag .tho Mdoti ".Wh.augarg.a,."

us, and at the same- moment tho boat struck somo floating object with, a crash jiaid then slid over it, and as ifc passed astern, I saw what was either a log or plank about twenty fcei. long,. - "Boat is s-tove in, for'ard!" cried ono of my men, and 'indeed that >vas very evident, for the water- was pouring iu — she- had carried away her stem, and started all the timber ends. To have attempted to stop the inrush of water effectually would have been wasta of time, but I called to my men to coma aft, as far as they could, so as to lob the boat's head lift, and whilst two of them kept on baling, the others shook out the reef in our lug, and the boat, went along afc a great spaed, half full of water as she was, and down by the- stern. Tho water still rushed in, and T told the Ss#soans to movo -the baskets of heads further aft, so that the mon could balo out quicker. '"We'll bo all right in ten minutes, boys," I cried to my men as I steered. "I'll run her slap upon Iho beach by tho church." Presently one of the Samoans " touched my arm, and said in. a whisper that wo were surrounded ( by a swarm ■ of: sharks. He had noticed them, he said,before the boat struck. ' "They smell tho bloodied watei"/' he muttered. « A glance over the side filled me with terror. Thero were literally scores of sharks racing along on both sides of tho boat, somo alm6st on th© surface, others some feet down, and the phosphorencc of tho water accentuated the horror of tho scene. At first I was in hopes that they wero harmless porpoises, but they were- so close that aomo of them could have been touched with one's hand. Most fortunately I was steering with a rudder, and not a steer oar. The latter woidd have been torn out of my hands by the brutes — tho boat have broached-to, and we all have met with a horrible death. Presently one of tho weepina; women noticed them, and uttered a scream of terror. '"Le malic, le malic!" ("The sharks, tho sharks!") she cried. My crew then became terribly frightened, and urged me to let them throw tho baskets of heads overboard, but the Samoans became frantic at the suggestion, all four weeping. < So wo kept on, the boat making good Erogress, although wo could only keep er afloat by continuous baling of the ensanguined water. ' In five minutes more my heart leapt with joy — we we're in shallow water, only a cable length from Salimu beach, and then in another blinding rain squall, we ran on shore, and our broken, bows ploughed into tho sand, amid the cries of some- hundreds of natives, many of whom held lighted torches. All of us in the boat were so overwrought that for somo minutes wr were unable to speak, and it took a full bottle of brandy to steady the nerves ot my crew and myself. I shall never forget that night rim across Fagoloa Bay.