The Cruise of the Kawa: Wanderings in the South Seas

the Filberts. Their curious sound, and its reason. We make a la

to the quarter-deck. There, for the first time, we were able to make an accurate survey of our surroundings and realize the magnitude and importance of what had befalle

overrated classification-Ed.] In a few of the outlying suburbs of Melanesia and the lower half of Amnesia, we had found a few designs which showed sketchy promise of originality: coral reefs in quaint forms had been begun, outlining a scheme of decoration in contrast with the austere mountains and valleys. But everywhere these had been abandoned. Either the appropriation had given out, or the polyps had gotten to squabbling among themselves and left their work to be slowly worn away by the erosive action of sea and shipwrecked bottoms. [Foot

hell with these islands. Give me a good mirage, any time." Swank and I had heartily agreed wi

ad made the amazing discovery of an absolutely new type of island!-something s

is the first time I have ever seen a virgin"

well be

miliar but it was not until weeks afterward that I recalled its prototype in the memory of a decoration worn by General Grosdenovitch, Minister very-extraordinary to America from Montenegro just before the little mountain kingdom blew up with a faint pop and became absorbed by Jugo-Slovakia (sic).] We could only stare in open-mouthed amazement, thrilled with the thought that we were actually discoverers. A gorgeous feature of our find, in

that red!" he shouted. "Look at that blue!! Look at that yaller!!!" He dove below and I heard rattling of tubes and b

edge a scalloped, almost rococo finish, which I have heard decorators call the Chinese-Chippendale "effect." Borne to

terms of other smells, and by reason of a curious, inherited prudery this province has been left severely alone by English writers. I know of but one man, M. Sen

one day as we sat sipping a siem-

des mauvaises,

he insisted, "Oui, s

as about us a soupcon of the je-ne-sais-quoi tropicale, half nostalgie, half diablerie. It w

The W.E. Trap

m Henry Thomas, the crew; Herman Swank, Walter E. Traprock, Reginald Whinney. At their feet lies Kippiputuona (Daughter of Pearl and Coral). The black and white of photography can give no idea of the magnificent tropical coloring, nor of the exquisite sounds and odors which permeate every inch of the island paradise. At the moment of taking this picture, which

I had for some time noticed a queer, dripping noise which I had foreborne to mention fearing it might be inside my own head-a dev

er, seconded by Swank

istened

a distinct pattering sound a

f a fish that had made a face at him. A glance through our merci

ling unassisted to the ground while between the heavier thuds of cocoanuts and grapefruit we heard the incessant patter of light showers of thousands of assorted nutlets, singing the everlasting burden and refrain of these audible isles

somewhat ameliorated by the labors of William Henry Thomas, we found most of our duffle in good order, an occasional stethoscope broken or a cork loose, but nothing to amount to much. Our rifles, side-arms, cartridges, came

ey's contention that the bow and stern sections belonged on the same end, we fina

y-two feet, showed a remarkable picture of aquatic forestry. Under our keel spread limeaceous trees of myriad hues in whose branches perched variegated fish nibbling the coral buds

and myself, in the order named. Beyond the beach was a luxuriant growth of haro. [Footnote: Similar to the photographer's grass; is used in the foreground of early Sarony full lengths. I

ion, for though our pith-helmets were of the best quality they were, after all, but pith, and a cocoanut is a cocoanut, the world over. While we were debating this point and seeking a possible way into the jungle which was not overarched by

ption committee. The general impression was that of great beauty and physique entirely unadorned except for a narrow, beaded water-line and pendent apron (rigolo in the Filbertine language) consisting of a seven-year-old clam shell decorated wi

ation of kindly cannibals in the Solomons. I had seen it in vaudeville and taught it to Triplett. As was my custom, I had in the pocket of my singlet a number of ship biscuit. Plucking out one of these I placed

the Filbertine

be afraid. Their one e

oadly, uttered the

ly humorous. They burst into loud guffaws, supplemented with resounding slaps of their cupp

e formation of that new tongue, Filbertese or nut-talk, which in the ensu