Islands far away; Fijian pictures with pen and brush . house and the grave. We were told that the latter wouldbe very difficult, that the ascent was long and steep, and thatfew people attempted it now. We enquired as soon as we got on shore the way to Vailima,and were told it was more than three miles off, and a pull upall the way. As to the grave, no one seemed to know exactlywhere it was or how to reach it. People shook their heads 226 Islands Far Away. and said, You will never climb all the way up Vaea; it is along way and very steep and there is no road,—^no one evergoes. At last a youth,
Islands far away; Fijian pictures with pen and brush . house and the grave. We were told that the latter wouldbe very difficult, that the ascent was long and steep, and thatfew people attempted it now. We enquired as soon as we got on shore the way to Vailima,and were told it was more than three miles off, and a pull upall the way. As to the grave, no one seemed to know exactlywhere it was or how to reach it. People shook their heads 226 Islands Far Away. and said, You will never climb all the way up Vaea; it is along way and very steep and there is no road,—^no one evergoes. At last a youth, who could speak half-a-dozen wordsof English, came forward, and said he knew how to go, andcould conduct us, but that it would be impossible to walk thewhole way there and back. The next thing was to find acarriage to take us as far as the house, but the prices demandedwere quite prohibitive. When it seemed almost as if weshould have to give it up, the boy got hold of a small vehicle,the owner of which was willing to drive us up as far as Vailima,. SAMOAN HOUSES. for a reasonable price if we would walk back. As he was goingelsewhere he could not wait for us. So we set off at once,taking our Samoan guide with us. It was a lovely drive. we passed along the shore, nativecanoes were plying in the dazzling blue sea, their swarthyoccupants manipulating great nets which stretched from boatto boat, making glittering streaks across the water. Then our road went up through the most luxuriant foliageand passed several native houses and villages. The expression of tropical heat was everywhere. Thehouses did not look like houses at all—a circle of posts holdingup a beautiful roof of beams and thatch, and a floor of close-set pebbles, this was all. Between all the posts hung rolledup mats which could be let down to give shelter from sun or Ala Loto Alofa. 227 wind as desired, and a few mats lay on the floor, but there wasno furniture. Any clothes and the other belongings of thepeopl
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, bookidislandsfaraw, bookyear1921
