William E. Safford

“ Nothing more striking could be imagined than the picture presented by the conglomeration of strange shapes and bright colors — snake-like sea eels, voracious lizard- fishes, gar-like houndfishes, with their jaws prolonged into a sharp beak; long- snouted trumpet-fishes, flounders, por- cupine-fish, bristling with spines; squirrel-fishes of the brightest and most beautiful colors — scarlet, rose color and silver, and yellow and blue ”

“ The natives of Guam, and of a number of other tropical islands of the Pacific, use this fruit to stupefy fish (see opposite page) . The species does not occur in the Hawaiian Islands, but it is found in the Malay Archipelago, the Andaman Islands, and Ceylon. The fruits are light, and as the tree grows down to the very edge of the sea, they often fall into the water and are carried by currents and cast upon other shores. ”

“ The natives of Guam came to meet the Spaniards in strange "flying praos " (canoes provided with outriggers and triangular sails of mats) . The Spaniards had dropped anchor, furled their sails, and were about to land, when it was dis- covered that a small boat which rode astern of the flagship was missing. Suspecting the natives of having stolen it, Magellan himself went ashore at the head of a landing party of 40 armed men, burned 40 or 50 houses and many boats, and killed seven or eight natives, male and female. ”

“ Each does his share without constraint, nor will he indulge so freely in tuba as to incapacitate himself for work, for experience has taught the necessity of temperance, and every one must do his share if the services are to be reciprocal. ”

“ The dried fruits are used by the natives as floats for their nets. Though Guam lies within the tropics, its climate is tempered throughout the greater part of the year by a brisk trade wind blowing from the northeast and east. Its mountains are not high enough to cause marked differences in the dis- tribution of rain on the island, and the island is not of sufficient extent to cause the daily alternating currents of air known as land and sea breezes. ”

“ On one occasion a blacksmith was delayed two weeks in making a plow owing to the fact that the man from whom he got his charcoal had been so busy supplying visiting vessels with fruits and vegetables that he could not find time to burn it. ”

“ That they were naturally kind and generous is shown by their treatment of shipwrecked sailors cast upon their shores and their reception of the early missionaries who founded the first colony on the island. These missionaries complained that they could not make the natives take life seriously, saying that what they promised one minute they forgot the next. On the other hand, the missionaries spoke of the remarkable intelligence shown by the children in learning the Christian doctrine, the moderation of the natives in eating, and the absence of intoxi- cants. ”

“ Gen- erally speaking, the seasons conform in a measure with those of Manila, the least rain falling in the colder months or the periods called winter by the natives, and the greater rainfall occur- ring in the warm months, which are called summer by the natives. ”