All I say of the South Sea missionaries is said in good-fellowship. Some of the best men are missionaries and sacrifice years of their life in a hopeless quest. So bear with the honesty of one who has fought side by side with the best and worst, and face to face with the grim realities of existence. For the present I hope someone will like what I have written in this, my book—one more ambitious plunge of a failure.
A. S.-M.
CONTENTS
| PAGE | ||
| I. | I RUN AWAY TO SEA | [17] |
| II. | STRANDED IN BRISBANE | [25] |
| III. | SLEEPING OUT AND BUSHED | [36] |
| IV. | I LEAVE FOR THE SOUTH SEA ISLANDS | [42] |
| V. | I PLAY VIOLIN AT NATIVE WEDDINGS | [51] |
| VI. | SOUTH SEA BAR-ROOM | [57] |
| VII. | I GO CRUISING | [68] |
| VIII. | WITH R.L.S. AND OTHERS | [78] |
| IX. | CANNIBALISM | [90] |
| X. | A FIJIAN BRIDE | [105] |
| XI. | BACK IN SAMOA | [116] |
| XII. | TRAMPING THE SOUTH SEA BUSH | [120] |
| XIII. | STILL TRAMPING | [133] |
| XIV. | SOUTH SEA DOMESTIC LIFE, ETC. | [139] |
| XV. | TAHITIAN MORALS | [148] |
| XVI. | MARQUESAN QUEENS. THAKAMBAU | [157] |
| XVII. | R.L.S. AT SAMOA. NATIVE MUSIC | [174] |
| XVIII. | R.L.S. IN THE STORM | [193] |
| XIX. | FATHER DAMIEN | [203] |
| XX. | I RECEIVE A KNIGHTHOOD | [211] |
| XXI. | LITTLE DAMIEN’S GRAVE | [218] |
| XXII. | BOUND FOR AUSTRALIA | [228] |
| XXIII. | I STOW AWAY | [244] |
| XXIV. | IN THE BUSH | [255] |
| XXV. | BEFORE THE MAST. MAN OVERBOARD | [260] |
| XXVI. | IN SAN FRANCISCO | [273] |
| XXVII. | LOST IN THE AUSTRALIAN BUSH | [280] |
| XXVIII. | ON THE GOLD FIELDS | [290] |
| XXIX. | THE CONCERT IN COOLGARDIE. FAREWELL | [298] |
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
| PLATE | ||
| 1. | Tree-Climbing | [Frontispiece] |
| 2. | River Scene, Queensland | [24] |
| 3. | Forest Track, Out Back | [40] |
| 4. | Coco-nut Palm in Full Fruit | [52] |
| 5. | Native Girl, Samoa | [64] |
| 6. | View of Apia from Mulinu | [74] |
| 7. | Planting Coco-nuts | [84] |
| 8. | Preparing Copra | [104] |
| 9. | Native Coast Village near Apia | [116] |
| 10. | Low-Caste Native Girl | [126] |
| 11. | Native Bamboo Bridge | [138] |
| 12. | Rarotongan Scenery | [150] |
| 13. | South Sea Lagoon | [166] |
| 14. | Native Girls making Kava | [170] |
| 15. | Para Rubber-Tree | [182] |
| 16. | Native Pottery | [192] |
| 17. | Loading Bananas | [200] |
| 18. | Coco-nut Palms and Pasture-land | [210] |
| 19. | Native Homestead | [220] |
| 20. | Native Canoes, Fiji | [226] |
| 21. | Homestead Scene, Queensland | [236] |
| 22. | Cabbage-Palm and Bush Land | [250] |
| 23. | Pastoral Scenery, N.S.W. | [258] |
| 24. | Modern Sheep-Shearers | [280] |
The author is indebted to the Agent-General for Queensland for the photographs reproduced as plates 1, 2 and 3; to the High Commissioner for Australia for plates 21, 22, 23 and 24; to the Director of the Imperial Institute for plates 4, 7, 8, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20; and to Messrs W. A. Mansell & Co. for plates 5, 10, 12 and 13.