SKETCHES OF SUNLIT SEAS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3510, 21 June 1921, Page 57

SKETCHES OF SUNLIT SEAS.

By

Te Pana.

(For the Witness.) 111.—THE ROMANCE OF AN ATOLL. Atolls are by nature lonely places, but of all atolls in the Pacific, Ariri is perhaps the lonliest; never visited, far off from any group and out of the paths of navigation. Not very many years ago, Ariri was a bit of No-man’s-land ; though marked on the chart its existence was ignored by the Powers —it had never been inhabited : no flag had ever been raised above its beaches of dazzling coral sand. At that time and for centuries before the sea birds rested undisturbed on the islets within the reef, where all day long the water flashed blue in the sunshine, and the trade wind hummed a song of lonliness among the palm tops. And this is the story of the settlement of Ariri, as it is told on the beach at Papeete. Two French traders blown out of their course on the tail end of a hurricane, made a landing at the tiny atoll. Shrewd men, when they returned to Tahiti, they spoke of the possibilities of Ariri. Here was an island capable of producing 100 tons of copra annually, and claimed by no man. They would plant it. and reap the reward of enterprise. The chief difficulty was to find a manager capable of taking charge of the project: it needed a white man, but white men willing to undertake a task of such poignant lonliness were not to be found every day in Papeete. As it chanced, however, their man was at hand.

A BEACHCOMBER. The natives called him Viliami. Years amongst the islands had obliterated what stamp of nationality be might have possessed : it was rumoured he was British by birth, and also that he had seen fighting in the American Civil War. Tall, strong, and of fine presence he was the idol of women, a great singer and dancer, a remarkable liar, drunken, brave, witty and unprincipled, lie was of a type which used to thrive in Polynesia, When they offered him charge of Ariri. the two F rench traders were not without doubts and misgivings. He was “on the beach’’ at the "time, though the only sign of that condition was an unusual laxity ill returning the favour when anyone bought him a drink. Viliami had no money, but that was lus only limitation. The natives stood by him : there was always a howl of kava for the asking and at meal times lie could l'ick the choicest hits of vam. or bread fruit, or turtle in an tlie woven food baskets. His easy ruing philosophy, how. I ever, seemed scarcely respectable in the ; eyes of j ’npeete’s business men. In the | case of Ariri, however, it was difficult to I see how he could stray from the narrow j path. There would he no liquor, and with I no means of leaving the atoll, there | seemed little chance of trouble. Yiliami's j chief virtue with his French employers j was that he was a highly efficient driver of native “labour.” AN ISLAND VENTURE. Eventually an agreement was drawn up and in due time a schooner sailed into the lagoon at Ariri to land Viliami and a dozen native “boys” with their wives. ff'ha traders took care to leave no 1> at capable of putting to sea, but as then -e houses to be built they left a van. ortment of tools in addition to a yea: supply of food and clothing. Viliami took three skilled men for his own private use, while the others were assigned the task of clearing and planting the atoll. There were one or two growths which promised a supply of timber, and with a scheme ripe in lus mind the old “beachcomber” commenced to build a boat. Tn seven month's time lie hurl a 40ft. cutter sturdy and seaworthy floating in the lagoon. The mast and booms were the smoothed-down trunks of coc-oanut palms ; her sails a patchwork of varied fabric; her cordage of twisted sennit was made by the women. The crazy craft was provisioned and one morning Viliami said good-bye to has peojile and set sail to the westward,—alone. His only instrument was an old pocket-conqia s and yet he made the run to Fiji—l2oo miles—in 15 days. In .Suva, he wasted no time at the offices of the High Commissioner for the Western Pacific. He announced that he had taken charge of Ariri in the name of the British Empire and wanted a 50 year’s lease of the atoll at a nominal rate. His request was granted, and a few days later. Viliami was at sea, still alone, and headed for Iris kingdom. But something went wrong with his navigation, and he was 50 days without a sight of land. Eventually he fetched up at a big island 600 or 700 miles out of his course. He spent a week cleaning up. and left, haded down with provisions and drinking nuts-—and six of the youngest and prettiest girls in the village. Time went smoothly and tho party enjoyed the trip to Ariri where Viliami established his large family and proceeded to the lers diverting business of planting coconuts. KING OF THE ISLAND. Ten months passed, and a day came when the schooner from Tahiti rounded to in tlie lagoon and sent a boat ashore. Viliami met the supercargo on the beach. Copra from the old trees? There was not much, but what little there was belonged to him. This was a British island and lie was the lessee; he showed his pajK-rs to prove it ... and lie regretted he could not allow strangers on shore. . . . The Frenchmen fumed, but they were too shrewd not to recognise defeat. The next boat which reached Ariri landed a missionary. Viliami was difficult at first, but before the godly man left, tlie king of the island was married to Marama, his favourite wife. And in due time a nativo teacher arrived to work amongst the now numerous flock. Ever on the look-out for a mild flirtation, the teacher had the bad luck tn pick on Marama as the object of his affections. In the end. lie was caught —and old Viliami saw red. He lashed the native to a post in the glaring sun where he probably would have died if the mission schooner had not appeared, just in time. Cowed and whimpering, the cul nr it was thrown into a canoe by the indignant husband, who pushed off and paddled angrily to the schooner. “Here’s vour crimson missionary.'’ he roared out as he burled the strii,(ruling native into the lagoon. “I'm finished with him. From now on this island will have to get along with me as missionary, teacher and king.” That is all to the Vtorv as it is told in the islands set in sunlit seas.