SAILING THE SEVEN SEAS 



679 



Photograph by Dr. Edward Burton MacDowell 

 BANANA STOMACHS IN SAMOA 



This seems a page from romance, a 

 paradise of climate, a place dreamed of 

 but seen by few, a memory to soothe one's 

 troubled spirit for years, a place where 

 thoughts may wander from the strenuous 

 life in the midst of rushing civilization. 



Such a place was Penrhyn Island (Ton- 

 gareva), one of the northern islands in- 

 cluded in the Cook group, which we visited 

 for a few hours one day in June, while 

 en route from Honolulu to Samoa. Rarely 

 do they see a vessel other than the trad- 

 ing schooner, the Tiare Taporo, which 

 calls every six or eight weeks and which 

 was then in port. 



The island is about 12 miles long by 

 seven miles wide, yet the narrow, circular 

 strip of land surrounding the lagoon sup- 

 ports 400 natives. Eight white men were 

 living there, engaged in trading or as gov- 

 ernment officials. 



As soon as the Carnegie approached 

 the island, one of the traders was able to 

 recognize her, explaining that one of the 

 two or three magazines to reach the island 

 the previous year had described the vessel 

 and her work and had shown her picture. 

 The magazine had been re-read several 

 times, and he had puzzled greatly over 



the absence of iron in the Carnegie's con- 

 struction, being especially curious as to 

 how an engine could be built mostly of 

 bronze and copper. 



After the magazine was finally dis- 

 carded, and when searching for some 

 paper with which to wrap articles sold 

 to the natives, the pages describing the 

 Carnegie showed up again. Then one 

 Sunday morning this vessel, of all the 

 ships of the sea which might have visited 

 the island, comes gliding smoothly up to 

 the entrance to the lagoon, with all sails 

 set, like a huge white swan ! 



TRAGEDIES IN THE SOUTH SEAS 



Going ashore for lunch, we were treated 

 to fresh eels, fresh roast pork, string 

 beans, fresh shrimp salad, and Rarotonga 

 oranges. Then we wandered around the 

 village and along the shore, saw the little 

 church where all the natives were attend- 

 ing services, and visited the unique grave- 

 yard, with all the graves whitewashed to 

 keep out the evil spirits. 



One of the graves was very elaborately 

 built with a huge canopy over the top like 

 a bed, surrounded by an ornamental iron 

 fence and the whole inclosed with an Eng- 



