252 THE LAST CRUISE OF THE CARNEGIE 



We found in Apia the same cordiality on the part of the towns- 

 folk that featured our visits everywhere. The hospital staff and 

 Government officers, as well as the many members of the com- 

 mercial community, went out of their way to make us feel at 

 home. We were invited to visit several interesting plantations; 

 tours of the Island were arranged for Sunday, and tennis- and 

 badminton-matches all helped to offer us relaxation. 



Some of the plantations near Apia were fascinating studies to 

 those of us who had never seen cocoa, coffee, teak, rubber, and 

 tropical fruits grown on a large scale before. We saw the whole 

 process of cocoa-bean harvesting from the tree, through the fer- 

 mentation and drying to the export sacks. The labor employed 

 in collecting the rubber latex and coconuts is chiefly Chinese, since 

 the Samoans are not anxious to work for a money wage and are 

 not very steady workers. Here and there one comes across a 

 black Solomon Islander who is employed on the plantation. 



Several excursions were made by members of the party, which 

 were noteworthy. One, a sunrise visit to the tomb of Robert 

 Louis Stevenson on Mount Vaea, which required a long climb 

 beginning at three in the morning. Besides seeking the mag- 

 nificent view obtained at dawn from this point, there was 

 another good reason for choosing such an early hour — brisk 

 walking would be practically impossible in the intense heat which 

 envelops the Island when the sun is high. Other trips included 

 Vailima, Stevenson's estate, now occupied by the Governor; 

 Malololelei rest-house, high up on the mountain behind Apia; 

 various waterfalls, and native villages along the coast. 



On the evening before sailing. Captain Ault and Paul were 

 invited to spend a night in Solo Solo, one of the largest, purely 

 Samoan, villages. After a long drive along the coast they were 

 challenged by an outpost stationed at the entrance to the village. 

 A few words from the driver and they were admitted to what 

 proved to be a hotbed of rebel activity. It is in this village that 

 about sixty chieftains have retired to escape punishment by the 

 British authorities for failure to pay taxes and for preaching re- 

 sistance to the New Zealand Administrator. Here they are cared 

 for by the natives without having having to do a stroke of work. 



