South Sea Foam The romantic adventures of a modern Don Quixote in the southern seas — Context and Discussion

Author’s Heritage—Arrives at Samoa—Disillusioned—Illusive Romance—Golden-skinned Polynesian Maids—Meets great Heathen Philosophers—The Samoan Chief, O Le Tao

CHAPTER II. TROUBADOURING IN TAHITI 49

I ship with a genuine Old-time Crew—Poetic Nightmares—Tattooed Manuscripts of the Seas!—I learn the Art of Forcible Expression—Tar-pots—The Storm—Washed Overboard—Papeete—Pokara—How the first Coco-nuts came—Star Myths

CHAPTER III. POKARA’S STORY 92

Pokara tells me how the first Idol came to be Worshipped

CHAPTER IV. I MEET ALOA 100

The Hut in the Mountains—A Modern Fairy—The Escape—Love’s Hospitality—The Stranger from the Infinite Seas!

CHAPTER V. FAE FAE 106

I meet O’Hara—The Emotional Irish Temperament—The Tahitian Temperament—O’Hara and I go Pearl-hunting—Tapee, the Old-time Idol-worshipper

CHAPTER VI. ABDUCTION OF A PRINCESS 115

O’Hara in Love—Fae Fae’s Midnight Elopement—Chased—A Melodramatic Race for Life—The Innocence of Eve—Temptation—The Lost Bride—The Madness of Romance—Outbound for Honolulu

CHAPTER VII. THE HEATHEN’S GARDEN OF EDEN 144

Tangalora the Samoan Scribe—Where the Gods and Goddesses first met in Council—The Materials of which the first Mortal Children were Fashioned—The first Wondering Men—The first Women—How the first Babies came to their Mothers

CHAPTER VIII. IN OLD FIJI 158

A Heathen Monastery—A Scene of Primitive Heathenism—My unsolicited Professional Engagement—I imbibe Kava—I am made “Taboo”—Things that I may not Confess—My Escape—Fanga Loma—A Native Village—The Enchantress of the Forest—Temptation—In Suva again

CHAPTER IX. KASAWAYO AND THE SERPENT 175

(A FIJIAN LEGEND FOR YOUNG AND OLD CHILDREN)

A Goddess in the Garb of Mortality—A Garden of Eden—Temptation—Kasawayo and Kora the Mortal—The Battle Flight to Shadowland

CHAPTER X. O LE LANGI THE PAGAN POET 203

A Pagan Poet—Influence of Byron and Keats—Star-myths Enchanted Crab

CHAPTER XI. R. L. S. IN SAMOA 214

O Le Langi’s Influence—Heathen Magic—Poetic Aspirations—Ramao and Essimao-Samoan Types—Robert Louis Stevenson and the “Beautiful White Woman”—O Le Langi becomes a Part of the Forest—“Here lies O Le Langi”—A Great Truth

CHAPTER XII. A MOHAMMEDAN BANQUET 238

A Child of American Democracy—Rajah Barab—Barbarossa—Brown-Slave Traffic Methods—Motavia’s Grave—The Magic Casement—The Splendour of Rose-coloured Spectacles—Mohammedanistic Desires—Giovanni’s Love Affairs—Exit Barab

CHAPTER XIII. AN OLD MARQUESAN QUEEN 254

In Tai-o-hae—I come across a widowed Marquesan Queen—Am received with Dignity—The Artistic Tattoo on Loi Vakamoa’s Royal Person—The Queen tells how she was married to a certain Martin Smith of New South Wales—An aged Queen’s Vanity—A Heathen Necropolis

CHAPTER XIV. TISSEMOA AND THE CUTTLE-FISH 265

Impressionistic Scene in Nuka Hiva—Tissemao listens to the Luring Voice of a Cuttle-fish—The Love-stricken Cuttle-fish—When Crabs are Brave

CHAPTER XV. CHARITY ORGANIZATION OF THE SOUTH SEAS 273

I fall from Space—Court Violinist—Arrive in Fiji—With the Great Missing

CHAPTER XVI. YORAKA’S DAUGHTER 287

The Wild White Girl—The Wagner of Storms—A Pagan Citadel—Pagan Democracy—Ye Old Britisher—A Battle in the Dark

CHAPTER XVII. SOOGY, CHILD OF POETRY 318

Poetry’s Legitimate Child—Music’s Fairyland—A Civilized Old Man of the Sea—A Clerical Hat is the Symbol of Modern Religion

CHAPTER XVIII. RETROSPECT 326

The Modern Old Man of the Sea—Fifty Pounds!—A Human Octopus—Adrift at Sea—Sorrow—Saved—In Tonga—Our Old Man’s last Hiding-place—Retrospect

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TO YOU MEN OF THE CITIES

Come! follow me o’er the sun-bleached sands by the seas where the small grog-shanty stands On the Wallaby track to Falaboo. Come! drink of the sunsets, rich old wine from the wandering sinful days of mine, For ’tis only in dreams the world rings true. Come! dream of some magic, far-off day, some lone backyard in the Milky way! I’ll fiddle; how the wandering stars will dance! We’ll sing together—“Yo ho! yo ho!” as on the mighty God-winds blow Through the dreams of my world of gay romance.

I’ve tramped the tracks to Malabo, I’ve been the way the fallen go! When times were bad my fiddle wailed their grief— Till, by the camp-fires on the steep, one by one they fell asleep: (I’ve buried three, dead in their boots beneath The breadfruit trees, with all their dreams and Heaven knows what thwarted schemes!) We’d tramped the cities, then we sought the huts. And now?—secure on heathen isles, my pals still sport their hopeful smiles: We’re looking thin on rum and coco-nuts!