1902] Fishi?ig with Dynamite 



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us at fair rates the stock at Apia, so that ^^ith this, 

 supplemented by our chloride of lime brought from 

 Honolulu and our well-sharpened three-tined forks, 

 we were thoroughly equipped. 



The dynamite we placed in the hands of three 

 helpers, Taua, a serious and sagacious Raratongan, 

 and two Samoans, the vivacious and talkative Vaiula, 

 and Musila, a youth of excellent parts. Their skillful 

 handling of a ticklish substance brought to light many 

 new forms not otherwise obtainable. But one sur- Vaiuids 

 prising incident fraught with unexpected peril may '^^'^'■'" 

 be worth recording. The huge, spear-like houndfish 

 or "long tom" {an) of those waters, six feet in length 

 and with sharp, alligator-like jaws, swims near the 

 surface and leaps into the air in pursuit of its prey. 

 Vaiula having one day thrown a stick of dynamite, it 

 was seized in the air by an au, to the great alarm of 

 the thrower, as no one could tell where the creature 

 would be at the critical moment ! Fortunately, how- 

 ever, the charge exploded under water, and Vaiula 

 brought me the last twelve inches of a tail, all that 

 was left in evidence. 



The level reef of Upolu (as of all other islands of The reef 

 Polynesia) at low tide shows shallow pools of every '^^ ^^^'^ 

 size, its surface being broken and full of crevices. 

 Everywhere swarm brittle-stars, sea-urchins, star- 

 fishes, crabs, sea worms, and mollusks; under coral 

 blocks, and on the sandy floor in shallow water, lie 

 hosts of sea-cucumbers — Holothurians — of half a 

 dozen species, while little octopuses go swimming 

 about, to scuttle backwards through inky clouds 

 when disturbed. Water permitting, women and 

 children wade and poke about over the reefs, col- 

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