402 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[May 25, 1901. 
The Tfowt Stream* j 
f Among the hills of far away 
i There flows an old trout stream, 
And I am wandering there to-day 
Just in a May day dream. 
Down through the fields, so soft and green 
The brooli winds round the farm, 
Folding the budding tranquil scene 
Within its shining arm. 
The orchard flings some blossoms down 
Upon its ripples bright — 
Frail argosies, that dip and drown 
Their sails of gold and white, 
1 
The birds sing in the giant elm 
■ Till all the brookside rings ; 
Or darting to the watery realm 
They lave ^heir glossy wings. 
i 
On through the meadow's mist and glow 
At murmuring sleepy pace, 
The grassy ribbons swinging low, 
Half hide its smiling face. 
But here and there it leaps away, 
Sings to the open sky. 
And holds the clouds of white and gray 
Within its laughing eye. 
- The dipping willows by the mill 
Caress its happy face; 
So on it flows, its purpose still 
To bless each thirsty plaice. 
Beyond the mill, the eddies rush 
With eager, clamorous shout, 
Into deep pools, fringed by the brush, 
Where lurk the royal trout. ' 
See there ! that daintj'- beauty shine 
Out from his cool, dark nook; 
Oh ! for a swinging rod and line, 
A trusty feathered hook. 
Away with business — quire and ream — 
My rod and reel are out ; 
To-morrow's sun fulfills my dream, 
I'm going to fish for trout, 
George Douglas. 
/ Two Dogs. 
A GOOD many years ago I lived in a house that stood on 
a bluff overlooking the Hudson, and about a quarter of a 
mile back from the river. The tracks of the Hudson 
River Railroad ran at the foot of our place. 
The following incidents, which happened at that time 
and place, bear upon the question as to whether animals 
will sometimes kill themselves from grief. They relate to 
a Scotch terrier (one of the wisest and canniest that ever 
cocked an intelligent eye out of an ugly face) of the 
name of Blucher, but called Bleach. His wiry coat being 
of a dingry cross between white and tan, the nickname 
fitted him well. 
Bleach belonged to Us neither by right of gift nor pur- 
chase; but of his own free will he chose to come to live 
at our stable in the train of a horse, an old friend of his, 
that my father had bought for me. Bleach hung about 
the stable, followed Billy, my horse, when I rode, and 
slept in Billy's stall at night. 
One day my sisters drove out to pay some visits, and I 
followed the carriage on horseback, Bleach, as usual, at 
Billy's heels. One of the visits was at the house of the 
horse's and dog'^ former master. I did not dismount, but 
while my sisters were in the house had ample opportunity 
to watch a curious scene. The stable stood at a short 
distance from the house, and suddenly from out the stable 
door rushed a nondescript little yellow dog, who greeted 
Bleach with every sign of recognition and delight. To 
my surprise that itsually grave gentleman responded to his 
greeting \Vith equal warmth, and even Billy showed, 
through whinnies and playful nips at the dogs as they 
circled around him, that he too recognized an old friend. 
As I knew that our coachman had been in the employ 
of the gentleman before whose house we waited, I rode up 
to the carriage and asked him why the little yellow dog 
was so glad to see us. 
"That, Miss," said he, "is Dandy, and when I worked 
for Mr. them two dogs was always together, and 
both of them slept in Billy's stiiU." 
"Wejl," thought I, "when we ride away we shall see 
which of his friends Bleach loves best," but I reckoned 
without Bleach 
At that moment my sisters emerged from the house, en- 
tered the carriage and drove off. I followed 'slowly, look- 
ing back to see how Bleach would settle the question. I 
could see by the glint of his eye that he also took in the 
situation, but he never let on — not he. Redoubling the 
enthusiasm of his gambols, he gradually increased their 
circle, until the lawn was traversed, the gate cleared, and 
the unsuspecting Dandy fairly launched upon the high 
roadi A good quarter, of a mile lay behind us before 
Dandy's conscience awoke. He suddenly stood stock 
still, his tail, indeed his whole being, drooped. He turned 
about and began trotting homeward. The day seemed 
lost for Bleach. But no ! In this emergency the force of 
his character and the depth of his wile displayed them- 
selves. Springing in front of Dandy he blocked the 
way, and while his whole body was, down to the stump 
that served him for a tail, quivering with excitement, chal- 
lenged his long lost friend with giddy barks to another 
romp. Dandy wavered, but his ears pricked up and his 
dejected tail assumed a more jaunty angle. In another 
moment h? was racing in the direction which the car- 
riage had taken, scruples thrown to the winds, carried 
away by the rush of Bleach's high spirits. 
This struggle' between Dandy's conscience and Bleach's 
will occurred at widening intervals in the two miles that 
lay between Mr. 's house and our front gate. As we 
neared the latter Bleach put on an extra spurt of speed 
and rushed Dandy through, across the lawn and up to the 
front door. Then the little yellow dog seemed to come 
to his senses. He stared blankly at the door and in an- 
other moment would have run away. Btit in this crisis I 
became Bleach's ally. Jumping from the saddle I threw 
open the door and invited both dogs to walk in. Once^ 
within Bleach's whole manner changed. From playmate* 
he turned to host. He led Dandy from room to room and 
showed him the sights. A pier glass rather fazed them 
for a moment, but Bleach led up to it with a swagger, as if 
he were saying, "Oh! this is nothing; a mere trifle," and 
both dogs looked at themselves in the glass. No one 
would have thought from Bleach's actions that it was 
the first time that he himself had ever been in the house. 
I brought a bowl of milk and set it before them. Dandy 
fell to, but though quite as thirsty, Bleach did not touch 
it until Dandy had finished, but stood by, wagging his 
tail with the pleasure of hospitality. 
After the meal I bowed them out of the house with due 
politeness, and saw them head their way toward the stable, 
which from that time was their headquarters, both sleep- 
ing at night in Billy's stall. They were inseparable, and 
one was rarely seen without the other. Both would dis- 
appear at intervals for two or three days at a time on 
hunts for woodchucks or other small game, always turning 
up at the stable and staying there imtil the roving spirit 
moved them again. 
This state of things la-sted for about two 3'cars. Then 
one summer's day Bleach came home from a hunt alone. 
Dandy never came back. Bleach moped about the stable 
for a week or more, then he too disappeared. 
On the following day some boys came to tell us that his 
body was lying crushed across the railroad tracks at the 
foot of our place. Now Bleach was a wise dog and knew 
as well as anj'^ man what would happen ^if he stretched 
himself across a rail. The inference, therefore, seems to 
be that grief over the loss of his companion led the lonely 
little fellow to seek death. 
Mary W. Montgomery. 
The Samoan Giant-Killer. 
Let it not be supposed that there are any giants now- 
adays in Samoa. The period of these interesting freaks 
who lived too early to enjoy the advantages of side show 
careers, is quite as far back toward the beginning of his- 
tor}'- among the islanders as with us. Still, we ourselves 
have the very exciting tale of Jack the Giant-Killer, and 
at certain periods of life his adventures are firmly be- 
lieved. The stories of the killer of Samoan giants are 
not only credited in childhood, but also in ripe age it is 
felt by the islanders that in times so remote there is more 
than a bare possibility that such things could be. Once 
when I seemed to imply that the race of giants was 
imaginary I was floored by an apt quotation from Gene- 
sis to the effect that there were giants in those days, and 
then it dawned on me that to attempt to introduce the 
higher criticism would be difficult and undoubtedlj'^ use- 
less. The stories are important to the older people for 
yet another reason — their chain of ancestors is deduced 
from some one of the giants, from some one of their 
victims, or from the hero who slew the terrors of island 
life. The latter descent is restricted to but few, for it 
is in the main line of the Malietoa race, and the last 
kings of Samoa came in direct descent from this public- 
spirited seeker after trouble. When his descendants 
indulged themselves in this family failing they found no 
giants left, and therefore were obliged to have trouble 
with some two or three of the great nations of the world, 
the result in the modern instance being that Samoa has 
been chopped up . into two small mouthfuls, of which 
Germany has one and the United States the other and 
more desirable fragment. 
Let it not be. imagined that the Samoans do nothing 
but sit around and tell stories. Quite on the contrary, 
it is hard work to get the story when you know that there 
is one in existence, and to .get on the track of it calls 
for vigilance to pick up some stray allusioli in speech, 
to haul upon the end of the clue until it is certain that 
there is yarn behind, and then to cajole or to bribe' some 
aged islander until he can be induced to spin said yarn. 
So it was with this story of Polu, the giant-killer. It 
was hinted only by accident; it was long before I secured 
the whole story. One day I noticed in the lagoon before 
the consulate at 'Vaiala a small native canoe with what 
seemed to be a particularly white paddler making a most 
irregular course. The man at once struck me as far 
whiter than the climate permits the white residents to 
be, and the scantiness of clothing was something not to 
be expected even of the least progressive beach comber. 
When Tonga observed my curiosity as to the unusual 
right she rested from her labors, and though an excellent 
woman she was prone to rest from such light toil as fell 
to her lot. and gazed with me. 
"That shows you that Polu didn't kill all of them," 
was her sole comment. 
"What is be that he should have been killed?" I 
asked. 
"Oh, it's only one of the 'autetea' from Falefa," she 
replied. "He can't see much in the day time and that's 
why he's paddling so crooked. He'll run ashore on your 
beach and then 3'ou can get a good look at him." 
The word "autetea" was explained to mean white peo- 
ple, but it had no reference to the foreign visitors, who 
are known quite generally through the Pacific as Papa- 
iTingi. When the clumsy paddler did as Tonga had fore- 
seen he would do and blindly ran his canoe on the beach 
before the house, it was easy to see that he was an albino. 
His hair was as yellow as straw; his skin was not only 
white, but devoid of all pigment whatever; his pur- 
blind eyes were pink, and in every particular he cor- 
responded to the albinoes seen in other lands. The man- 
agement of his canoe showed him to be afflicted with 
the characteristic intolerance of light which accompanies 
fhis morbid condition. 
i'But who was PolU; and why did be kill these af- 
flicted people?" was my next question put to Tonga. 
"That's only a devil story," she answered. "I think so 
it's a lie. He was a devil long ago, and some of our old 
men talk about him, but I don't know what they say." 
This made it clear that there was a story and I made 
it ray object to drag it forth, not from Tonga, for I had 
long since given her up in despair, but from all the old 
chiefs who came my way. That was the only course to 
pursue; when any old man came to ask me for food, or 
matches, or painkiller, he met the prompt query, "Why 
did Polu kill the albinoes?" In time I acquired quite 
a series of exploits of Polu, which proved him to have 
been a slayer of giants, mostly through the shrewdness 
which enabled him to get the advantage of position, which 
is the first thing a Samoan wants when it is a matter of 
fighting. His adventures seem to have been but seven 
in number, for, although I did not get them all from one 
man, I never found any informant who could recall an 
eighth adventure. 
Polu, surnamed the Tricky, is represented in these sav- 
age stories of wild life in Samoa of the ancient times as 
a son of one of the Malictoas long gone by. From his 
first exploit it wo-ukl appear that cannibalism was at that 
time practiced in Samoa. This custom, common enough 
in other archipelagoes of the Pacific, seems to have been 
abandoned in Samoa at some very remote period, and 
the first adventure which sent Polu out upon his career 
of purifying the social tondition of his people professes 
to give an account of how this practice was given up. 
It is very certain that very few references are made to the 
custom in the island stories, thus showing that its aban- 
donment was a matter of very long ago. 
Polu was back in the bush one morning engaged in 
the interesting sport of netting pigeons. While he was 
waiting for the beaters to drive the birds to his stone 
platform he heard the complaints of three wayfarers who 
were unwillingly making slow progress toward the home 
of the paternal Malietoa. When they reached the hunt- 
ing platform and sat down to talk, as is the custom of 
Samoans to the present day. Polu called them hy name 
and asked the cause of their manifest and indeed ex- 
pressed discontent. The}' told him that they were on 
their way to the home of Malietoa for the purpose of 
being eaten and that they were not particularly charmed 
with the prospect. It is explicitly stated that it was the 
habit of Malietoa to eat a man a day, and these three 
wayfarers had been designated to be the next three days' 
food supply. Polu, without further parley or delay, gave 
up his pigeon hunt and assured the men that he would 
see that they remained men, even if his father did go 
hungry. Accordingly he ordered them to plait him up 
in a cocoanut leaf in the same way that other men were 
treated when offered for the larder. A single leaf is large 
enough and strong enough to form a convenient ham- 
mock in which to carry the largest man, and when the 
leaflets are brought over from each side and woven to- 
gether the whole package can be carried quite easily 
by making the ends fast to a pole, which can be borne 
on the shoulders of two men. In recent wars this method 
of packing has been emploj'ed in presenting a defeated 
chieftain to his conqueror, a ceremony with the meaning 
that he is as helpless as a man going to be cooked; but 
in these later ceremonial instances the cooking is omitted 
in deference to a change in public opinion. , In this con- 
dition Polu was offered to his own father as the day's 
meat. When the parcel was undone and Malietoa saw 
his own son and heard the reason for the sacrifice, he 
issued an edict that men should no longer eat men, and 
sealed the legislation by having a great feast of pigs. 
Having now definitely entered upon the career of hero, 
Polu sallied forth in search of wrongs to right, and iieigh- 
bors to abate, when they had become nuisances. The 
first hard citizen who encountered Polu in this great 
hunt was known as Flashing Eyes, who had the unpleas- 
, ant habit of stealing the most noble counsellors out of 
the very court of Malietoa. Polu made very few prepa- 
rations for the extermination of this monster, who was 
a cannibal as well as a snatcher of live bodies. He sim- 
ply inquired by which path the giant most commonly 
came, and there he sat down to wait. When he saw 
Flashing Eyes in the distance with a long trident spear, 
Polu turned around with his back to the enemy and still 
sat in the road. Flashing Eyes soon spied this tempting 
bait ready to his hand, and hurried along the road brand- 
ishing his spear. Although Polu made no sign that he 
was conscious of the onward rush of the giant he wa.« 
keeping a sharp lookout for shadows on the path. When 
the shadows told him that Flashing Eyes was about to 
transfix him with the spear he dodged aside, the ogre 
was carried past in his furious rush and as he went by 
Polu hit him a crack with a log of wood, and that canni- 
bal turned from his wickedness and died, greatly to the 
relief of. the circle that was wont to gather about 
Malietoa. 
From this deed of justice Polu traveled eastward and 
came to the town of Toamua, where he found the women 
having a good old South Sea island crying spell over 
their husbands and brothers, who were being dragged 
off to a cave by another cannibal, named Blazing Rock. 
Polu waited until he could be sure that Blazing Rock 
had set out on one of his predatory trips. Then he went 
into the cave itself and waited for the return of the giant. 
When Blazing Rock came home bearing another man on 
his back to be eaten at leisure, Polu fell upon him before 
his eyes had adjusted themselves to the dim light and 
while he was still hampered by _ his burden. A little 
work with the trusty club, and the women of Toamua 
found their lamentations changed to joy. 
Then came the slaughter of the albinoes, and that took 
place in the next bay east of Apia. For some reason 
not very clear the albinoes of the town had been carrying 
things with a high hand over their darker neighbors. 
Here Polu was very tricky indeed, for he took advantage 
of the defect of vision which accompanies the pink eyes. 
Arranging an ambush over night, he had a town meet- 
ing called at daybreak. The albinoes took their seats 
in the place of honor in the council house, which hap- 
pened to be at the west end. The meeting was pro- 
longed nntil sunrise, and the level beams of the sun 
shone fair in the faces of the albinoes. That half blinded 
them, and Avhile they were under these difficulties Polu 
and his party issvied from the ambushment, took them 
at this great disadvantage snd in the confusion slaugh- 
