Adventures in the South

Seas

ODS WHO DIE —the story of Samoa’s Greatest Adventurer” as told to Julian Dana, has been just published by Mac millans. The Honolulu “Star-Bulletin” says of it; — George Egerton Leigh Westbrook, now 78, has spent 60 years of his life in the South Seas, 43 of the 60 in Samoa. Julian Dana, who writes the book, met him by chance in Auckland, where he was attempting to secure from the adminis trators of the mandate some concessions to Samoan protests.

The casual meeting in a hotel lobby led to the writing of a vividly interesting and, the author assures us, a accurate account of the adventures of an English lad of good family who went to sea, fell under the spell of palms and atolls and forgot the world out of which he had come.

Westbrook did not ‘‘go native,” but he found the islands of the South Seas the place where his intense energies could well spend themselves. He has had a varied and active life, made a fortune, lost a good deal of it in efforts to advance native in terests, and lives in vigour and comfort still in his Samoan home at Apia har bour, fifth building from the left. His greatest wealth, though, is his memories.

The book has. numerous illustrations, in cluding photographs of the wrecked Ger man war ships Eber and Adler, driven ashore in the great hurricane. Steven sonians will also find some pictures of R.L.S. they perhaps have not heretofore seen.

The attitude of the old adventurer toward missions is not wholly enthusiastic.

The new religion brought not only the deadly Mother Hubbard but drastic Sab bath regulations that in a tropical country without refrigeration ruled that week-end cooking had to be done on Saturday. Not even a fish washed ashore could be picked up on Sunday.