The Floating Island (29 page)

On the other hand, although they
would be reinforced by the natives of the neighbouring islands, these New
Hebrideans had no intention of attacking Floating Island when in the open sea as
if it were an ordinary merchant vessel, nor of boarding it from a fleet of
canoes. Thanks to the sentiments of humanity the Malays had been able to take
advantage of, without awaking suspicion, Floating Island would arrive in the
neighbourhood of Erromango. She would anchor a short distance from the island.
Thousands of natives would invade her by surprise. They would throw her on the
rocks. They would smash her. They would hand her over to pillage, to massacre.
In truth this horrible plot had many chances of success. In return for the
hospitality accorded to Captain Sarol and his accomplices, the Milliardites
were advancing to a supreme catastrophe.

On the 9th of December, Commodore
Simcoe reached the hundred and seventy-first meridian, at its intersection with
the fifteenth parallel. Between this meridian and the hundred and seventy-fifth
lies the group of Samoa, visited by Bougainville in 1768, by La Perouse in
1787, by Edwards in 1791. Rose Island was first sighted in the north-west
—
an inhabited island
which did not even deserve the honour of a visit.

Two days afterwards the island of
Manona was sighted, flanked by the two islets of Olosaga and Ofou. Its highest
point rises seven hundred and sixty metres above sea level. Although it
contains about two thousand inhabitants, it is not the most interesting island
of the archipelago, and the governor gave no order to stop at it. It was better
to stay a fortnight at the islands of Tetuila, Upolu, Savai, the most beautiful
of the group. Manona rejoices in a certain celebrity in maritime annals. It was
on its shores at Ma Oma that many of Cook’s companions perished, at the head of
a bay which still retains its well justified name of Massacre Bay.

Twenty leagues separate Manona
from Tetuila, its neighbour. Floating Island approached it during the night of
the 14th of December. That evening the quartette, who were walking in the
vicinity of Prow Battery, had “smelt” Tetuila, although it was still several
miles away. The air was laden with the most delicious perfumes.

“It is not an island,” said
Pinchinat, “it is Piver’s shop, it is Lubin’s manufactory, it is a fashionable
perfumer’s warehouse.”

“If your Highness does not object,”
observed Yvernès, “I prefer to compare it to a casket of perfumes.”

“Well, a scent-box, then,”
replied Pinchinat, who had no wish to oppose the poetic flights of his comrade.

And in truth it seemed as though
a current of perfumes were being borne by the breeze over the surface of these
wonderful waters. These were the emanations of that scented tree to which the
Kanakas of Samoa have given the name of moussooi.

At sunrise, Floating Island was
coasting along Tetuila, at about six cables’ length from its northern shore. It
looked like a basket of verdure, or rather tier upon tier of forests, rising to
the summits, of which the highest exceeds seventeen hundred metres. A few
islets lay in front of it, among others that of Amru. Hundreds of elegant
canoes manned by powerful, half naked natives, working their paddles to a
Samoan song in two-four time, were acting as an escort. From fifty to sixty men
were in some of them. This is no exaggeration for these long vessels, which are
strongly enough built to go far out to sea. Our Parisians then understood why
the early Europeans had given this archipelago the name of Navigators’ Islands.
But its true geographical name is Hamoa, or preferably Samoa.

Savai, Upolu, Tetuila, stretching
from north-west to south-east; Olosaga, Ofou, Manona, scattered to the
southeast, such are the principal islands of this group of volcanic origin. Its
total area is about two thousand eight hundred square kilometres, and it has a
population of thirty-five thousand six hundred inhabitants. It is necessary
therefore to reduce the estimates of the first explorers by one half.

Be it observed that none of these
islands could offer such favourable climatic conditions as Floating Island. The
temperature ranges between twenty-six and thirty-four degrees centigrade. July
and August are the coldest months, and the highest temperature occurs in
February. From December to April the Samoans are deluged with abundant rains,
and this is also the period when occur the storms and hurricanes so fruitful of
disasters.

The trade, which is chiefly in
the hands of the English, and in a minor degree of the Americans and Germans,
amounts to about eighteen hundred thousand francs of imports and nine hundred
thousand francs for exports. It consists mainly of agricultural products,
cotton
—
the
cultivation of which increased every year
—
and
coprah, that is, the dried kernel of the cocoanut.

The population, which is of
Malayo-Polynesian origin, contains about three hundred whites and a few
thousand labourers from different islands of Melanesia. Since 1830 the
missionaries have converted the Samoans to Christianity, but they retain a few
of the practices of their ancient religious rites. The great majority of the
natives are Protestants, owing to the influence of Germany and England.
Nevertheless Catholicism has a few thousand converts, which the Mariste Fathers
are doing their best to increase in number with a view of opposing Anglo-Saxon
proselytism.

Floating Island stopped at the
south of Tetuila, at the opening of Pago
—
Pago
roadstead. This is the real port of the island, whose capital is Leone,
situated in the central portion. This time there was no difficulty between
Cyrus Bikerstaff and the Samoan authorities. Free pratique was accorded. It is
not at Tetuila but at Upolu that the sovereign of the archipelago resides, and
where the English, American, and German residencies are established. There were
no official receptions. A certain number of Samoans took advantage of the
opportunity of visiting Milliard City and its environs, while the Milliardites
were assured that the population of the group would give them a cordial
welcome.

The port is at the head of the
bay. The shelter it offers against the winds from the offing is excellent and
its access easy. Ships of war often put in there.

Among the first to land we need
not be astonished at meeting Sebastien Zorn and his three comrades, accompanied
by the superintendent, who had asked to join them. Calistus Munbar was as usual
delightful and in high spirits. He had ascertained that an excursion to Leone
in carriages drawn by New Zealand horses had been arranged among three or four
families of notables. As the Coverleys and Tankerdons were going, perhaps there
might be a meeting between Walter and Di, which would anything but displease
him.

During the walk with the
quartette he began talking about this great event in his usual grandiose way.

“My friends,” he said, “we are in
a regular comic opera. With a lucky accident we shall arrive at the end of the
piece. A horse runs away
—
a
carriage upsets
—
”

“An attack of brigands!” said Yvernès.

“A general massacre of the
excursionists!” added Pinchinat.

“And that might happen!” growled
the violoncellist in a funereal voice, as if he were down in the depths of his
fourth string.

“No, my friends, no!”  said
Calistus Munbar. “Don’t let us go as far as a massacre! We need not go to that.
Let us have a nice sort of accident, in which Walter Tankerdon will be lucky
enough to save the life of Miss Coverley.”

“And then a little music from
Boieldieu or Auber!” said Pinchinat, working his hand as if he were turning the
handle of a barrel-organ.

“And so,” said Frascolin, “you
are still thinking of this marriage?”

“Think of it, my dear Frascolin!
I dream of it night and day! I am losing my good humour, though I do not look
like it! I am getting thinner, though you would not think so! I shall die if it
does not take place.”

“It will,” said Yvernès, in a
voice of prophetic sonority, “for God does not at present require the death of
your Excellency.”

And they entered a native inn,
and drank to the health of the future couple in several glasses of cocoa milk,
while they ate some luscious bananas.

Quite a joy to the eyes of the
Parisians was this Samoan population in the streets of Pago-Pago, and amid the
trees which surrounded the harbour. The men are of a stature above the average,
their colour of a yellowish brown, their heads round, their bodies powerful,
their limbs muscular, their faces gentle and jovial. Perhaps there was too much
tattooing on their arms and bodies and even on their thighs, which were
imperfectly hidden under a petticoat of grass and leaves. Their hair was black,
straight or waved, according to the taste of native dandyism. But under the
coating of white lime with which it was plastered it formed a wig.

“Savages in the style of Louis
XV.!” said Pinchinat. “They only want the cloak, the sword, the breeches, the
stockings, the red-heeled shoes, the plumed hat, and the snuff-box, to figure
at the receptions at Versailles.”

The Samoans, women or girls, are
as rudimentarily clothed as the men, tattooed on the hands and breast, their
heads garlanded with gardenias, their necks ornamented with collars of red
hibiscus, fully justifying the admiration with which they were described by the
early navigators
—
at least, such as were young. But they were distant, and of rather affected
prudery. Graceful and smiling, they enchanted the quartette, wishing them the
kalofa
,
that is, the good morning, in a sweet and melodious voice.

An excursion, or rather a
pilgrimage, which our tourists had wished for, and which they performed on the
morrow, gave them the opportunity of traversing the island from one shore to
the other. One of the country carriages took them to the opposite coast at França
Bay, the name of which recalls a remembrance of France. There, on a monument of
white coral, raised in 1884, is a plate of bronze bearing in engraved letters
the never-to-be-forgotten names of Commandant De Langle, the naturalist
Lamanon, and nine sailors, the companions of La Perouse, who were massacred
here on the 11th of December, 1787.

Sebastien Zorn and his comrades
returned to Pago-Pago through the interior of the island. What wonderful masses
of trees, interlaced with lianas, cocoanut-trees, wild bananas, and many native
species suitable for cabinet-making. Over the country stretched fields of taro,
sugar-cane, coffee plantations, cotton plantations, cinnamon-trees. Everywhere
orange-trees, guava-trees, mangoes, avocado-trees, and climbing-plants, orchids
and arborescent shrubs. A flora astonishingly rich from this fertile soil,
fertilized by a humid and warm climate. The Samoan fauna, reduced to a few
birds, a few almost inoffensive reptiles, contains among its mammals only a
small rat, the sole representative of the rodents.

Four days afterwards, on the 18th
of December, Floating Island left Tetuila without any such providential
accident as had been desired by the superintendent. But it was evident that the
state of affairs between the two families continued to improve.

Hardly a dozen leagues separate
Tetuila from Upolu. In the morning of the next day Commodore Simcoe passed in
succession, at a distance of a quarter of a mile, the three islets of Nom-tua,
Samusu, Salafuta, which defend the island as if they were detached forts. He
took Floating Island along with great ability, and in the afternoon reached his
moorings in front of Apia.

Upolu is the most important
island of the archipelago, with its sixteen thousand inhabitants. Here Germany,
America, and England have established their representatives, united in a sort
of council for the protection of the interests of their nations. The sovereign
of the group reigns amid his court at Malinuu, at the eastern extremity of Apia
Point.

The aspect of Upolu is similar to
that of Tetuila, a mass of mountains, dominated by the peak of Mount Mission,
which constitutes the backbone of the island. These ancient extinct volcanoes
are covered with thick forests, which clothe them up to their craters. At the
foot of these mountains are plains and fields, joining on to the alluvial strip
along the shore, in which the vegetation is in all the luxuriant variety of the
tropics.

In the morning, the governor and
his assistants and a few notabilities landed at the fort of Apia. Their object
was to pay an official visit to the representatives of Germany, England, and
the United States of America, this composite municipality in whose hands are
concentrated the administrative services of the archipelago.

While Cyrus Bikerstaff and his
suite visited the residents, Sebastien Zorn, Frascolin, Yvernès, and Pinchinat,
who had landed with them, occupied their leisure by visiting the town.

And at first sight they were
struck with the contrast presented by the European houses with the huts of the
old Kanaka village, in which the natives obstinately persist in living. These
dwellings are comfortable, healthy, charming in a word. Scattered along the
banks of the Apia river, their low roofs are sheltered under an elegant
sunshade of palm trees. There was no lack of animation in the harbour. This is
the most frequented harbour of the group, and the headquarters of the
Commercial Company of Hamburg, which owns a fleet employed in the local service
between Samoa and the neighbouring islands.

But if the influence of the
English, Americans, and Germans preponderates in this archipelago, France is
represented by Catholic missionaries, whose devotion and zeal keep them in good
repute among the Samoans. Genuine satisfaction, profound emotion even, seized
our artists when they perceived the little church of the Mission, which has not
the Puritan severity of the Protestant chapels, and a little beyond, on the
hill, a school-house, on which the tricolour was flying.