(5.) Laloata is the name of a village inland of Apia.  The word means “Under the shade,” and had its origin as follows:—­Pai and his wife lived there, and had a daughter called Sina.  The woman went down to the sea one day to fetch salt water for cooking purposes; a small sea eel stuck to her cocoa-nut shell water-bottle, and she took it home as a plaything for her child Sina to feed and keep in a cup.  The eel grew, and then they digged a well for it.  One day Pai and his wife returned from some plantation work and found Sina crying, as the eel had bitten her.  They concluded that it must have become the incarnation of some cruel god, and determined to go away from the place.

Away the three went eastward, but on looking round there was the eel out of the water and following after them.  Then said the father to his wife and Sina:  “You make your escape, and I will remain here and raise mountains to keep it back.”  Sina and her mother went on ahead, but on looking over their shoulder there was the eel again still rustling after them.  Then the mother said to her daughter:  “You make your escape alone, and I will remain here, raise mountains and intercept the creature.”  Sina went on alone, but the eel still followed just as before.  As she passed through the villages the people called her in to rest and have a bit of food, and once and again she offered to do so on condition that they would try and deliver her from the pursuing eel.  When they heard that, and saw the creature, they said: 

“Oh no, you had better pass on; we are afraid of that thing.”

Sina gave it up, thought escape was impossible, turned round and made for her home again.  As she passed through one of the villages to the cast of Apia the people called the attention of their chief to the young woman passing, and an eel following her.  He told them to call her in and have something to drink.  She said she would gladly do so if they would only get rid of the eel.  The chief called out to her:  “Yes, come in, and we can do that.”  She went into the house, and the eel remained outside.  The chief gave orders to get ready a cup of ’ava for the strangers, and quietly whispered to the young men to go off to the bush and bring all the poisonous things they could lay their hands on to mix with it.  Soon the bowl was brought in, and the ’ava declared ready to be served round.

“Give the first cup to the stranger outside,” said the chief to the young men; and out went one of them with a cup to the eel, which was at once eagerly drank.  But immediately the creature called to Sina to go outside, and when Sina went out it said to her:  “Sina, I am dying.  Let us part in peace.  When you hear that they have cooked me, you ask the head as your share.  Then take it and bury it near the stone wall, and it will grow up a cocoa-nut tree for you.  In the nuts you will see my eyes and mouth, and so we shall be able to look at each other face to face still.  The leaves of the tree will be a shade for you, and you can plait them into mats, and make a fan also to fan yourself.”