THE STEALING OF SA LUIA.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7923, 30 January 1904, Page 2

THE STEALING OF SA LUIA.

(By LOUIS BECKE.) Author of " Hodman the Boat Steerer," etc. [A_t Rights Reserved.] -I One dull rainy morning as the ship St George, of New Bedford, was cruising for sperm whales near Vanikoro Island, the look-out reported a boat in sight. The captain was called, afc once went aaloftt t and kept the ship away. ! The boat contained three natives—a man and two young girls — wlio appeared to be greatly exhausted, for after feebly raising .their heads for a moment and putting out • their hands imploringly, they fell back again. i As quickly as possible the sufferers were brought on board, and their own boat, .which was a small, _ative-built craft much.like a whale boat, but with an outrigger attached, *vas hoisted on deck, for she was .[_(*_. good a craft to be turned adrift. } On the whaleship was a Samoan named Falaoa, who at once recognised the ,unfortunates as country-people of his own. The man, who was in a dreadful state of emaciation, and barely able to raise his voice above a whisper, was over six feet in beight, and appeared to be about five and twenty years ef age; his companions had evidently not undergone as much suffering and did not present the same shocking appearance, for the sun had burnt his skin to such a degree that tbat par-tof his tattooing which was not covered by the scanty lava lava of tappa cloth around his loins had become almost black. Under the kind and careful treatment they receive- from Captain Elphin.vtone and ibis officers all three soon recovered, and ten 'days after they had been rescued, the following entry was made in the ship's log. "This day we landed the three Samoans 'at the island of Nufilole, one of the Swallow JGroup, where they were well received by the natives and a white trader. They were accompanied by one of my crew .named Falaoa, who begged me. to let him go with them, having become much attached to one {of the young women. They all behaved with the greatest propriety during* their jstay on the ship. From where they started fin Samoa to where we picked them.. up in U_deg S. is a distance of 1300 miles." ' And here is their story, told by Sa Luia ; to the w-ife of Frank Cheyne, a white trader then living in the Swallow Group. The four people remained in his house for many months as welcome guests, and a strong and lasting friendship was formed,, which resulted in Cheyne, his wife and -family, and the Samoans. removing fo the little jisland of Fenua-loa, and there founding jwhat is now a colony of Polynesians, with language, customs, and mode of life generally, entirely distinct from their Melanesian neigbbours. ! I am Sa Luia, .of Mulifanua, in Samoa. ' illy father was not only the chief of Muli,'fanua, but had great lands in the Atua district — lands 7_ich came to him through my mother, and from which he had his jname, Pule-o-Vaitafe (Lord of many 'Rivers). [ Now ifc is not well for a daughter to . speak unkindly of her father, but this, iwhat I now say, is true. My father, though he was so rich a man, was very cruel to those who crossed his path, and though he was a brave man, in battle, his bearfc was shrunken up by reason " of his avarice and his desire to grow richer, and all men spoke, of him as _*ule-lima;vale— - "Pule the close-fisted," or "Pule fata-ma'a •—"Pule the stony-hearted." Yet all this gave him no concern. : "What does it matter to. me," be said to bis brother Patiole one day, when Petiole, who was chief of Manono, reproached! him for his meanness in sending away emptyhanded some visitors from Tutuila, "what people say of me? What return, can they make to me?" " They are thy dead wife's relatives, end axe of good blood," said my uncle. , My father laughed scornfully. "What care I for my dead wife's relatives ! Let them go and eat grass or wild yams like Sigs. I, Pule-o-Vaitafe, want no. needy ependants." ; " Thou art a bard man," said my uncle. • " Art thou a fool," replied my father. Thafc was my father's way. That was bis '_an_, hard hearty wljich knew neither pity jnor remorse. This is how my mother died : When I was seven days old she took me to the fale siva (town dance house), where I had to be shown to^ the people, who brought fine mats and tappa cloth, and many other presents. Now, my father was fiilea with anger that my mother had not borne him a male child, for a male child would have meant richer presents. So 'when he saw that there were but the usual presents for a girl child hia lips turned down with scorn, and he muttered a curse. \ ; My mother beard him, and the tears flowed down her cheeks. ] " Ifc may be that my next child will be ja boy," she whispered, and then she held me up to my father, "see, Pule, though a f_irl, she hath thy features, and thou wilt (come to love her." " Tah !" said my father in angry contempt, and without another word he arose Find went away. ■< Then my mother wept silently over me .or a long time, for the shame put upon her was very great, and not to be endured. So, with some of her women, she .toot me to a place called Falema'a, where the cliffs rise up straight from the sea. Here she made gifts, of her- rings of gold and tortoiseshell to her women, and bade them 'farewell. Then she took me in her arms and leapfc over the cliff into the sea. It so happened that halfway down the cliff, which is twelve ' fathoms bigh, there was a boy named Manaia. He was collecting sea birds' eggs, and bis canoe was anchored just in front of the base of + he oliff. He was a brave boy, and as he clung to the jagi r ed face of the rock he saw my ■mother falling through the ,air. In an instant he sprang after her. When she came to the suifac. I was still clasped! tightly in her arms, and Manaia cried to her to swim to the canoe. \ "Nay," she cried, "but take my babe." .' And so Mauaia took me, -and my mother 1 threw up her arms and sank and died. When my uncle heard of this he came over from Manono, and I was taken to live . with him. My father did not interfere, for the manner of my mother-'s death had made the people murmur, and he was afraid thafc they mighfc rise in rebellion, and £ill or banish him. But yet he soon tried to get another rich wife, and sent a deputation of his chiefs to Seu Manu of Apia asking for his daughter Sina ; and Sina sent him- back a piece of wood carved in the semblance of a woman, together with a stone shaped like a heart-, with this message : ' . " This is a good wife for Pule-o-Vaitafe. If she displeases him he can sink her in the sea with a heart 'of stone." / After that my father sought no more for a Wife. ' But in no other way' ..did he change, and he never came to see me till I was in my fifteenth year, and when I was chosen by the people of Aona Taupof- of Mulifanua. Then I had' to leave my uncle, which made *» weep ; for, although I was proud of the honour done me, I'did not wish to leave him -~d go back to my father. But I had no choice but to obey, and so I was taken back to Mulifanuay where I was put under the care of, two. wo- . men, who attended me day and night, as }» the custom ; they walked, ate and -slept . - Jrith me, and every day I was taught, how • "Jo dance, and how to wear my fine mats $ad long train of tappa, so as to receive or \YL upom visitors who came to the town ■Jrom other places in Samoa. In all the many years that I had spent *n Manono) I had not once seen the boy : Manaia— though I had heard of him as • having been tattooed and grown into a tall man. But on the same day that I 4 ■ : '■ — — " .Taupo, the town maid. This distinction is ' usually com-ferred on a girl of good „t'__ilyy' and haa many honours and emoluments in the way oi presents attach*- to it. In conic cases a ,i_u_*o will not marry till she reaches middle ■.•aa*i *-d ccoa_ic__lly, will remain single.

returned and was taken to the fale taupule (council house) to be received by th c people as their taupo a girl named Selema, who attended me, whispered his name, and pointed him out to me. He was sitting with the other young men, and, like them, dressed in his best, and carrying a musket and the long knife called nifa oti.J I saw that he was very, very tall and strong, and Selema told me that there were many girls who desired him for a husband, though he was very poor, and, it was known, was disliked by my father. Now this girl Selema, who was of ray own age, was given to me as my especial tavini (maid), and I grew to like her ■ as my own sister. She told me that already mv- father was casting about in mind for a rich husband for me, and that the man he most favoured was old Tamavili, chief of Tufu, in Savaili, who would soon be sending messengers with presents to him. v All this frightened me, and I told Selema I would escape to my uncle in Manono, but sh c said that would not do, as if he tried to protect me ifc would mean war. So I said nothing more, but resolved to run away to the mountains rather than, be made to marry Tamavili, who was a very old man. One day Selema and I went to the river to wash our hair with the pith of the wild oranges. We sat on the smooth stones near°the water, and had' just begun to beat the oranges with mallets of wood, to soften them, when we saw a man come down the bank and enter a deep pool further up the stream. „_.,■ „,_ t. "Tis Manaia," said Selema; "he has come to drag the pool for fish." Then she called out to him, "Ola! Manaia," and he looked at us and laughed as he spun his small hand net into the pool. We sat and watched- him, and admired his strength and skill, and the clever way in which he dived and took the fish from his net. In a little while he had caught seven, and then he came out of the water, made a basket of leaves, and approaching me, without a word laid them at my feet. This pleased me, so I put out my hand and touched one of the _sh— meaning that one only would ptalce. *■•__•__• " They are all for thee, lady," he said m a low voice. I took the basket, and then when I saw that his eyes were still turned down, I gained courage and said, " Thou art Manaia. Bost thou remember me';" " '.Tis an honour for me to think of thy name," he replied, and then he raised his eyes to my face, and I felt glad, for they jvere like unto those of my uncle Patiole — kind ands soft when they looked into those of a woman or childj,' but steady and bold to those of a man. Now I know not what he said to me, except that when he spoke the name of Tamavili of Tufu I wept, and said that I was but a child, and had no desire to be wedded to any man. Then he lifted me up in his great arms and said, "I love. thee, Sa Luia, I love thee! And I shall save thee from that old man as I saved thee from the boiling surf of Falema'a when thy mother, who was a .great lady, cried out .to me, 'Take. my babe."* 1 And that is bow Manaia my husband wooed me. ' So we made our plans, and when the messengers of Tamavili came and laid their presents before me, I said I was content, : and that in a month's time I would be ready, and) be, Tanuuvili, could come for me." This pleased my father, and, although at night time I always slept between the two women, as is customary for a taupo, with a mat over me, and they lay on the outside, one on each side, yet in the day time I often met my lover in the forest, 'whilst Selemai' kept watch. "We shall go to Uea§," he said, "'tis but eighty leagues away, and so soon as the rainy season is ended vre shall efcart. I have bought a small but good boat_ and have strengthened if for the voyage with an outrigger, amd in my mother's house is hidden all the food we can carry." One day there came a strange messenger to my father, who then bade the conch be blown to summon the people together. "Here is news, oh, people," he said; "Manka (Monk), the white trader of Tufu, ! also seeketh; my daughter Sai Luia in marriage. He and Tamavili have quarrelled., and Manka sayeth that he will compete with Tamavili. Whatever he offers for dowry and 'for presents to nic the white man will give double. This is a good day for me." But the people were silent, for they knew that he was breaking bis pledged word with Tamavili, and was setting at naught the honour of the town. So as he looked at then, he scowled ; then he held oufc his hand, on the palm of which were ten American gold coii-i each of twenty dollars. _ "Two hundred dollars bath this white man- Manka sent to my daughter Sa Luia as a present, with these words : 'If she cares nofc for my suit, well and good— leb her have them made into bracelets for her pretty arms." Now this was a great gift, and it came applauded, and my father smiled as his long, *thin fingers closed round the heap of gold'; but suddenly his face darkened as a voice cried: " 'Tis a free gift to Sa Luia. Therefore, 0 Pule-o-Vaitafe, give it to her." "Aye, aye, 'tis -hers, 'ris hers_' cried the people. My father sent a glance of bitter hatred to th* man who had spoken, and his lips twitched, but without a word he came to me, and, bending low before me, put tbe money on the ground at my feet, and I heard his teeth grinding with rage, while as I felt his hot breath on my hand I knew that murder was in his heart. It is easy for a chief such as my father to bave a> man who displeases him killed secretly. So Pule went away in anger, and then the ohiefs decided that^. although the white man could not wed me, he should be received with great honour; for he was known to us as a man of great strength and daring, and was tattooed like a Samoan, which is- a great thing to the mind of a Samoan womani who loathes an untattooed man. -.Thab night my father asked me for the money, which I gave him unwillingly, for 1 wished to send it back to the white man. He placed it in a great box, which contained such things ais guns, pistols, and powder and ball, and the key of which he always wore around his neck. When, after this, the eighth day dawned, the sea was very smooth, and my heart was gladdened by seeing that the wind was from bhe south-east. As night fell, Manaia, saying he was going to catch fish, launched his boat and sailed, along the shore for a league to the mouth of a small stream. Here he waited for me. , When the town was buried in slumber, Selema, who lay near, me, touched my head with her foot, and then asked me if I slept. "Nay," I replied in a loud voice, and speaking with pretended anger. *so as to awaken the two women between whom- I lay, "how can I sleep? Tis too hot. Let us gio to the beach awhile and feel the.. cool wind." I lbe two women grumbled a little at being disturbed, and Selema and I rose an^ went out of the house. Then we ran swiftly to the beach,, and' thence onwards to where Manaia awaited us. When the dawn broke we were halfway across the straits which divide Savaii from Upolu, and only two leagues away we saw the clustered houses of Tufu on the ironbound coast. We did not dare to hoist the sail for fear of being seen, so continued to paddle, keeping well into the middle of the straits. . Presently -Manaia looked astern, and there we saw the great mat sail of my father's double canoe just rising above the water, and knew that we were pursued. So we ceased paddling, and hoisted our sail, which made us leap along very quickly over the seas, though every now and then the outrigger> would lift itself oufc ; of the water, and we feared that we might capsize. Bufc we knew that death was behind ■. us, so we sat still* and no one spoke but in a whisper as we looked astern, and we

saw the sail of the great canoe growing higher and higher. It was a very large canoe, carrying a hundred men, and on the raised platform was a great cannon. Suddenly Selema cried out that she saw a taumualuall and a sailing boat coming to us from Tufu, and my heart sank within me, for I knew that if they saw we were pursued by Pule-o-Vaitafe they would, out of respect for him, stop us from escaping. Still there was naught for us to do but go on, and so we leapt and sprang from sea to sea, and Manaia bade Us be of good heart, as he turned the head of the canoe toward the land. " If tbis taumualua and the boat seek to stay us I shall run ashore," he said, " and we' shall take to the mountains. It is the white man's boat, for. now I can see the flag from the peak— the flag of America."* "And the taumualua is" that of Tamavili of Tufu," said Selema quietly, for she is a girl of great heart, " and it races with the boat/ I, who was shaking with fear, cannot now well remember ell tbat followed, but suddenly Manka's boat was upon us, and Manka 'was laughing loudly., "Ho, ho," she cried, pulling his long white moustache, "so this is the way the wind bloweth! The old dotard Tamavili and I race together for a bride, and the bride is for neither- of us. Ha, ha ! Thou art a fine fellow, Manaia, and I bear thee no evil, even though the girl hath my good golden money." "Nay, Manka," cried "^ema, quickly, and taking something from her girdle she held It up to the white man, "see, here is thy gift to Sa Luia. We meant to bring it back to thee with all good will, for Sa Luia loves no man but Manaia, who held her up from the angry sea when her mother, died-." "Is this true ?" asked the white man of Manaia. - ' " The money is thine," said Manaia, who knew not what else to say, "but the woman is mine. So let us depart, for Tamavili and his men — who no one in Mulifanua thought to see for three days yet — are drawing near, and; we may escape by running the canoe through the surf, and taking to the mountains." The white man swore an oath. "Thou art a fine fellow and- 1 bear thee no ill will, bufc-shall help, thee to outwit that old dodderer, who tried to steal away three days before me. I will put my boat between he and thee and keep Mm off. Where wouldst'land?" " Not here, unless we are pressed. But we aro in bad case, for see, on the one side comes Pule-o-Vaitafe, and on the other Tamvaili. Yefc if thou wilt be the good friend to us we may escape both, and keep on our way to the open sea." "The open sea!" cried Manka quickly, "and whither to?" "ToUea." "Thou art a bold fello,w," said the white __an__again, "and shalt have the girl, for thou art worthy of her. And she shall keep the money for dowry. As for Pule-o-Vaitafe, I care not a blade of grass, and for Tamavili even less. And see, take this rifle ; and if Tamavili cotmeth too close to thee, how can I help thee defending thyself and the women?" With that he gave Manaia one of the six rifles in his boat and fifty cartridges, then he wished us good fortune, and we parted, he sailing towards the taumualua, -which was crowded with men, and we following. When he came within speaking distance of Tamavili. he again brought his boat to the wind and mocked at the old chief. , "Ho, ho, Tamavili. Whither gbest thou in such a hurry? See, there ds the little bird we both sought. But she is neither for me nor thee. Is not her lover there a fine man— nearly as handsome as I z and hig enough to make teji such rats as thee." Tannavili was mad with rage, and did not answer. There were with the white man six men — all armed! with rifles and Manka was too great a man for even Tamavili to hurt. But suddenly as we in the canoe sailed in between the boat and the taumualua, the old chief found his voice, and called out to Manaia to lower llis- sail. " Give me the lady Sa Lbia," he cried, " and I will let thee and the girl Selema go," and as he spoke his crew turned the taumualua round and came after us, twenty men paddling on each side. " Keep back !" cried Manaia fiercely, as, giving me the steering paddle, he took up the rifle and loaded it. " Beware, old man !" shouted the white man, "'tis a dog that bites!" But Tamavili was too hot with anger to take heed, and urged on his men. Then Manaia took aim and fired z and down went two men. "Ho, ho!" and Manka's voice again mocked, "did I not say 'twas a dog that bit?" Then there was a great commotion in the taumualua, but Tamavili shouted encouragement to his people ; he would have ordered some of them to try and shoot Manaia but feared to hurt or perhaps kill me. "Alo, alo; foe*!" he cried, ■ standing up on- the stern, and brandishing his death knife at. Manaia. "I shall give thy head to the children of the village for a football ere the sun is in mid-heaven." That was a foolish boast, for once more Manaia knelt and fired, and I saw the blood spurt from Tamavili's naked chest as he fell down without a - sound among tho paddlers*, and a loud cry of anger and sorrow burst froan his oien. Bub in a moment a young sub-chief of Tufu named Lav Aula (the Golden-haired) took command, and leaping to the bow, began firing at us, one of the bullets striking the girl Selema on the leg and tearing a hole through the fleshy part. Now this man was a blood relative of Manaia, who cabled out to him to cease firingj but he took no heed. Then Manaia's face was evil to look at, his lips were drawn back, and his teeth showed like those of an angry dog, for the blood- which- flowed from Selema's wound was creeping affound his naked feet. Yefc once more he cried out to Lav Aula to beware ere it was too late ; but the young chief called him a thief, and. bade him bring the boat to the wind. " This for thee, then," cried Manaia, and once more be rdised his rifle and fired, while Lav Aulai spun round and fell over into , the sea, for the bullet had struck him in the throat, and: his life was gone. That was the last of the fight, for when Lav Aula fell, the rest of Tamavili's men threw down their paddles and let us sail on without further pursuit. Then whilst I steered Manaia tied strips of tappa around Selema's leg so as to stay the bleeding. "We are safe," cried the girl bravely through her tears, for the. pain was very great. " See, lady, ? the wipd is not strong enough for the big double canoe to pursue ■as." But yet,, in bis rage, when my father saw that we were escaping, be lowered the mat sail and fired two shots at us with the cannon, the great heavy balls soaring over our heads and plunging into^the sea with a splash not fifty fathoms away. Then he troubled us no more. For four days* we sailed steadily onwards, and- Selema's wound began to heal. Then one evening we saw the land of Ueat r just showing above the sea rim, and thought to place our feet on the shore in the morning. But now came sorrow, for in the night it began to blow strongly from the north-east, and heavy rain-squalls drove us -past- the __nd., In the -aofning there was bub the open sea, and the waves were white and angry,, and all that day. and the next Manaia kept the boat to the wind, hoping thafc it would change and let us back to Uea. But we hoped vainly ; then there came such a furious storm that we could do naught but drive before it, and go on and on into the great unknown western ocean, whither so many have gone and have been no more known of men. For many, many days we sailed on, and then, although we had- much rain and so suffered no thirst, our food began to fail, ! and had not Manaia one day caught a sleeping turtle we should haye perished. Some time about the fourteenth day we

saw the jagged peaks of an island against the sky, an_ steered for ifc. It was the land called Rotumah — „ fine, fair country, with mountains and valleys and running streams. We sailed th© boat into a bay on which stood a village of many houses, and the people made us welcome, and besought us to stay there, for their island was, they said, a better place than Uea. And this we should have done, and been content, bufc in the night, as I slept in the house of the unmarried women, a girl whispered in my ear : " Get thee away. Felipa, the head "chief of Fao, hath been told of thy beauty, and bath sent word here that the man Manaia must be killed to-night, and thou and Selema be sent to him." So we stole away to the boat, pushed off, and stood out to sea once more. The people had told us to go round to the north end of the island, where there was a chief named. Loli, who would protect us and give us a home. But again evil fortune 'befell us, for. tbe chief of Foa sent a messenger overland to Loli, claiming us as mea tafea i moana — " gifts sent to him by the sea " — and asking him to hold us for him. And so Loli, who would have welcomed us, was afraid, and begged us not to land and so bring about bloodshed. " Great is my sorrow, O wanderers," be cried to us, " but ye must not land. Steer to the west, where there is a great land — • many, many islands which trend nor-tb and south (the New Bebrides group)." "Is ifc far?" asked Manaia. " Four days for a ship, longer for a boat," replied Loli. "" shamefacedly. "The gods go with thee, farewell." Qnce again we sailed towards the setting sun, steering bylthe stars at night-time, and for seven days all went well. Then after that there came calms, and the hot sun beat upon us and afce its way into our hearts, and we saw no sign of land, while only now and then did a sea bird come near .us. Then came the time when all our food was gone, and we waited for death. Manaia had eaten no . food for many days when it came to this — for be said he was feeling quite strong, and divided his share between us. Once as he and I slept Selema put a little piece of old cocoanut — the last that was left — into my hand, and slipped over the side to die, but Manaia heard her, and although he was very weak he roused and caught her as she sank. Ohe night Manaia shot a small shark which was following the boat.' It was but three spans long, yet it kept us alive. Manaia gave us all the flesh, and l kept only the head and skin for. himself ; after that all the world became dark to me, and- we lay .together in the boat to die. The captain of the whaleship was very kind to us, and said he would land us all here at Nufilole, where there was a white man who would be kind to us. That is all ; and now my husband Manaia and I, and Falaoa and his wife Selema are well content to live here always. For even now after many months have passed do Selema and I cry out in our slumbers, and when we awaken our hair lies wet upon our foreheads; but all those bad dreams are passing away from us for ever.