A PILGRIMAGE TO VAILIMA.

Otago Witness, Issue 2848, 14 October 1908, Page 80

A PILGRIMAGE TO VAILIMA.

(Contributed by a Globe-trotter.) I am a happy traveller, many thousand miles from Scotland, 'but, like several of my countrymen, indulging occasionally In a sharp attack of home-sickness — homesickness of our peculiar national brand, which makes the victim genuinely unhappy, but suggests not the faintest desire to return horne — in the meantime ! Amid these contrasted emotions this morning I take up my pen to write to you. It is said "good people are scarce," but I have noticed for several weeks that Scotsmen prove the most powerful exception to this rule ! In fact, I find they abound almost everywhere, so I shall not speak about my experiences in New Zealand or Australia, in * case my account should not tally with other authentic accounts of these well-known countries, but would like in6teadi to tell you a little about my cruise among the South Sea Islands, where, at least, Scotsmen are fewer and further between! I think it is impossible to adequately convey in words the atmosphere of enchantment that hovers like a mysterious veil over these tropical islands. They are veritable magic lands, thickly wooded with cocoanut and banana trees, and surrounded by coral reefe which prove a treacherous enemy to tho sailor, but which, to the tourist's eye, express only the tender mesmeric, tints of an opal. The most beautiful spot I have ever seen is Vavau, a little island in the Tongan group. We approached it one intensely 6till evening just before sunset time, and our good ship iiad t© thread her way in and out among countless small islands, each one seeming more beautiful fhan the last, until the tortuous •channel vras at length p.ossed, and we glided in, silently and with 6hut-off 6team, to the open bay, and saw the little village in front of us, resting against the lowlying hijls. Here and there were a few uativ.es in canoes, and we could hear the gentle dip of the paddles as they touched the glassy surface of the water, this sleepy sound serving only to accentuate the absolute stillness and' serenity of the scene. We eeomed, indeed, to have passed , beyond- the hard boundary of civilisation.

I and to be approaching the very portals of the supernatural. Woixis fail me ■to ■ describe the sunset that followed. 'We could only stand speechless before the .great pageant of the skies, and witness reverently that The Angel of the Lord came down, And glory shone around. The heavens communicated fheir ecstasies of adoration to the earth until the whole creation seemed to unite in a passionate jubilate as the bridegroom continued, all omnipotent, on his course of ages. There was no lingering twilight after this exposition. All became quickly dark, and as our menial elevation gradually subsided we became reconciled to going below. I felt very 6ad to know tha* I had found Vavau more beautiful than my place I had ever seen at Home, but my, regret was*, nothing to my indignation when a hitherto devoted foreign admirer, of Scotland suggested the same sentiment. That was not to be borne! x We left Vavau a% daybreak next morning, and a two days' run brought us to Samoa. Now where Tonga had been comparatively fiat Samoa was mountainous, and where Tonga had •been hot . Samoa approached the infernal ! It is an enigma to me how any white man can stand the intense heat and "humidity that are to be met with there, and as far as we were concerned, it meant e> race between respectability and comfort, much to the alarming discredit -of respectability, when we 1 left just in the nick of time ! I managed to reserve enough energy to start one afternoon on an expedition to Stevenson's house and tomb, but it was a very reduced disciple who' set out on her pilgrimage, and a terrific rainstorm eventually prevented me from gettijug further than, "Vadlima." Our boat was anchored out in the bay, and already as I and my. party were being ivwedi ashore by four natives the clouds looked ominous and' threatening, so it was suggested! by our boatman that until th© "shower" ! was over the "igen'lemen and ladies" should shelter at his "place." It wasn't much, of a place, but gave us the wonderful experience of being entertained for over an hour in a real native hut and of studying ait near hand a few of the characteristics of the Samoan. We did' everything the family did, except rub noses, which courtesy was inefrcifully . exempted! We eat cross-legged on the floor ; we smoked native cigarettes, and we partook of various native foods, one of them having *he exact appearance of over-boiled slugs. I could! only hope I was wrong in this last unhappy idea, as I shut any eyes and tried to enjoy t/hem! 1 The members of the family were many and 1 confusing, and Sj have not yet' managed to piece them together, but a possible daughter of the house presently decorated me with a .necklace made out : of large-sized red beans, by which honour I was to understand, I suppose, that 1 had not altogether been a, social failure, and had been 'found; worthy to wear this distinction, which properly only belongs to a chief's daughter. Well, I pity the chief's daughters if their necklaces were as heavy and' smelt as strongly as mine. I am afraid that mine bad come through many vicissitudes I As the weather temporarily cleared we prepared to continue on our expedition, and while the buggy was being got Te^idy we made our numerous adieux, but were- not , allowed) to go out of the village until we- had> • . visited many other large families, where, we admired . native handiwork and • extolled the usefulness of their little pet' pigs, which serve as the children's bed pUJowsl A truly happy, though some-, what slothful communatfjr, posseesuig thY keynote of imperturbable good nature. I did not think much of the buggy when, it arrived, and still low of the miserable little weed of a mare who waa to pull us. Her name was Emmy, and she rauderstood English,!— all further intelligence being stunted by reason of her utter emaciation. She fell away so disconsolately from all parts of her harness, and almost died from heart failure, I think, on the rough ascent to Vailima.' By this time it had begun to pour in* torrents, and, despite the fact that we drove under tihick cover of cocoaavut trees, we were soon drenched to the skin. Our clothes clung to us like wet bath towels; but this made no\dafference to our enthusiasm in inspecting the house, and we forgot all else there in the concentrated interest in our surroundings. We could) hardly ccc the hill on which, the tomb is situated for the teeming downpour of rain, so we had to take all on faith and' go back, a little bit sadly, to Emmy. Soe had revived considerably in the rain; and now jogged: down the lull quit* gaily, while we eat in. delightfully refreshing pools of water behind her ! After all> the natives have so very few clothes to get wet that it must be hard! for them toreal ise we might sometimes prefer a dry - seat ! When we arrived back at the ship we were almost, but not, fortunately, quite unrecognisable, and my britherScot, tiie captain, enjoyed the best joke 5 he had had for a long time. But B t didn't mjnd, and ate my dinner shortly, afterwards, happy, dry, and content, and! told tny interested audience about many, thrilling adventures which we might or might not have had during the afternoon !j And now I am afraid I have warmed! my heart at the expense of your patience, so" shall write no more. I have now got my necklace to show you when I getf back to Glasgow, but I can still smell 1 it! It was no doubt a 'worthy and exocedinglv heavy gift, but it did not weipti so much in my regard as one single little Scotch pebble.

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