244 



THE LAST CRUISE OF THE CARNEGIE 



Once safely moored we lost no time in getting ashore, for this 

 was "movie night" at the Naval Station, and the officers had 

 generously invited us to attend. But to some, the invitation of 

 the charming roads leading to the native villages was more al- 

 luring. Here they found Samoan houses, called fales, like gigantic 

 mushrooms, cosily clustered together near the water, each lit 



The Interior of a Samoan "Fale" 



Showing the pebble-floor and the graceful lines of the roof — a Samoan pillow holds the 

 center of the stage. 



with a single kerosene lamp set on the pebble-floor. Around the 

 lamp the family lay sleeping or sewing or singing; for built as they 

 are without walls, these houses allow little protection from the 

 gaze of the curious passer-by. 



From each fale, in turn, came an invitation to enter. We were 

 to find these people as hospitable as the Tahitians. Once inside 

 the circle of pillars that support the eaves of the overgrown roof, 

 and seated on the floor with the rest of the family, we were offered 



