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 BOUGHT WITH THE INCOME 
 FROM THE 
 
 SAGE ENDOWMENT FUND 
 
 THE GIFT OF 
 
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 1891 
 
 AzozsM \1diA0k 
 
 5901 
 
Cornell University Library 
 PR 5493.A4 1906 
 
 Letters from Samoa, 1891-1895, 
 
 3 1924 013 554 328 
 
The original of this book is in 
 the Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924013554328 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 1891-1-895 
 
 BY 
 
 MRS. M. I. STEVENSON 
 
 EDITED AND ARRANGED BY 
 
 MARIE CLOTHILDE BALFOUR 
 
 EDITOR OF 
 1 FROM SARANAC TO THE MARQUESAS ' 
 
 WITH TWELVK ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS 
 
 153-157 FIFTH AVENUE 
 
 1906 
 
First Published in igo6 
 
TO 
 
 FANNY VAN DE GRIFT STEVENSON 
 
 IN LOVING MEMORY OF ALL SHE WAS 
 
 ALIKE TO R. L. S. AND TO HIS MOTHER 
 
 THESE LETTERS ARE DEDICATED 
 
 BY THEIR RECIPIENT 
 
 JANE WHYTE BALFOUR 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 PREFACE ix 
 
 PART I I 
 
 PART II 264 
 
 INDEX . . 338 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 PORTRAIT OF MRS. M. I. STEVENSON 
 
 VAILIMA : SHOWING VAEA MOUNTAIN 
 WEST OF THE HOUSE . 
 
 VAILIMA 
 
 MATAAFA 
 
 THE VAILIMA HOUSEHOLD 
 
 PAPAEIA, THE 'SLIDING ROCK' 
 
 THE NEW HALL— VAILIMA 
 
 THE HALL— VAILIMA .... 
 
 TO THE 
 
 FEAST TO THE CHIEFS AT THE OPENING OF 
 'THE ROAD OF THE LOVING HEARTS' . 
 
 LYING IN STATE, 4 th DECEMBER 1894 . 
 
 TONGAN DECORATIONS ON THE GRAVE OF 
 R. L. S 
 
 THE TOMB OF TUSITALA 
 
 Frontispiece 
 
 to face p. 57 
 102 
 166 
 189 
 222 
 256 
 276 
 
 297 
 314 
 
 323 
 
 33= 
 
PREFACE 
 
 THIS is the second, and last, instalment of 
 Mrs. Stevenson's Letters, written during 
 her journeys to Samoa and her life there in the 
 household of her son, up to her return home 
 after his death. 
 
 To Stevenson lovers there may be some 
 interest in his mother's account of the last happy 
 days they spent together on earth. At the same 
 time it may be frankly confessed that these 
 letters are published, far less with a desire to 
 furnish a few more details of a life about which 
 so much has already been written, than to pre- 
 serve some memorial of one as well beloved, if 
 less widely known. In her own circle Mrs. 
 Stevenson was not in any sense only ' the mother 
 of R. L. S.,' and it may be said, without injustice 
 to her brilliant son, that amongst those who 
 knew and loved them both she held no 
 secondary place. Personal charm and wit, a 
 bright responsive spirit, extraordinary quickness 
 of sympathy and understanding, and a sterling 
 
x LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 common-sense, were qualities as fully shared by 
 mother and son as were their patience and 
 bravery in suffering and sorrow, and their amaz- 
 ing cheerfulness of heart. She, like him, lived 
 to the tune of that most characteristic of his 
 
 prayers — 
 
 ' Give us to awake with smiles ; 
 Give us to labour smiling.' 
 
 Nor is it by chance that in these letters 
 R. L. S. appears only as the beloved son. With 
 instinctive tact his mother avoided that public 
 life which she felt was not wholly hers to deal 
 with, and to which others had a directer claim 
 than she. To those others she was content to 
 leave the novelist and writer, for all her pride 
 and joy in his success ; and to keep for herself, 
 and for those who would read her letters, the 
 memory of the little son, the delicate, greatly 
 beloved child of so many anxious bygone years. 
 That, at least, was her own, and remained with 
 her to the end ; for if there were a ' dear resting- 
 place ' to be left behind on Vaea Mountain, there 
 was no less dear a memory still waiting to meet 
 her in the grey and wind - swept Edinburgh 
 streets, which were her home, and his. 
 
 M. C. B. 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 S.S. ' Lusitania,' December 6, 1890. 
 
 MY dear . . . — Here we 1 are safely settled 
 on board, very comfortable on the 
 whole ; and as many of the passengers leave us 
 by the way, we shall have plenty of room by 
 and by. Several friends came to see us off, but 
 we felt rather sorry for them. Lloyd had pro- 
 mised them a bottle of champagne, but it turned 
 out that all the wine was in bond, and could not 
 be used till we had fairly set sail ; so we had 
 only cold comfort to give them, and they were 
 soon ordered off to the tender that had brought 
 us out a very short time earlier. Our start from 
 
 Avenue was rather diverting ; the cab 
 
 arrived much earlier than we expected, and we 
 hurried away in, as it proved, a quite unneces- 
 sary hurry. I started with my boots unbuttoned, 
 and had to have them fastened for me under 
 
 difficulties in the cab, while C was busyjn 
 
 the other corner sewing up some holes in K 's 
 
 gloves. I suggested that we might send a sketch 
 
 1 Mrs. Stevenson was accompanied, not only by Lloyd Osbourne, the 
 stepson of R. L. S., but by a nephew of her own, who went with her as 
 far as Australia. 
 
2 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 of it to Punch, labelling it ' Emigrants starting 
 for Australia.' 
 
 After getting on board we had an unpleasant 
 fright, as my cabin-box could not be found any- 
 where. When I tell you that it contained all 
 the money belonging to the whole party, except 
 some odd shillings, and also my letter of credit, 
 you can imagine we were rather seriously dis- 
 turbed. We knew, indeed, that it had come on 
 board, as Lloyd had himself brought the luggage 
 down by an earlier train than ours, and could 
 answer for its safety so far ; but we were very 
 thankful when, late at night, it turned up some- 
 where in the steerage, and we could go to sleep 
 with easy minds. 
 
 The cold on board is something dreadful ; I 
 have never ventured on deck since the tender 
 left. The cabin is heated with hot-water pipes, 
 but as the windows are open all the afternoon, 
 it is impossible to sit there ; so yesterday I 
 retired ignominiously to bed, as the only place 
 where I could keep myself warm. ... I hear 
 the letters are to go off at once, so there is no 
 time for more. Good-bye to you and to all the 
 dear ones ; God bless you all, and watch between 
 us when we are absent the one from the 
 other. . . . 
 
 Sunday, December 7, 1890. 
 
 WE are in the Bay of Biscay ; but on the 
 whole it is dealing mercifully with us, 
 and in spite of a heavy swell that makes walking 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 3 
 
 difficult the day has been pleasant, and warmer 
 than we have had yet, though with never a 
 glimpse of sun. A good many passengers came 
 on board at Plymouth, amongst others the 
 clergyman who conducted the service to-day, 
 and did it very nicely, not rattling it over in the 
 way I so much dislike. I have no doubt I shall 
 hear his name soon, but the passenger-list is not 
 out yet, and we do not know much of our com- 
 panions. The party at our table, the purser's, 
 promises, however, to be a very friendly and 
 cheery one, and we think ourselves fortunate 
 to have such pleasant neighbours. When it is 
 possible to be more on deck, we shall have more 
 opportunity to be sociable. 
 
 December 8. 
 
 THE clergyman's name is Canon , going 
 out to Naples for his health. He is very 
 pleasant, but very High Church, and told me 
 that 'the Reformation took away from the 
 people the Mass that they did understand, and 
 gave them the Prayer Book which they did 
 not.' . . . He is a great admirer of Browning, 
 and when he discovered my delinquencies in that 
 respect he offered, as you will be amused to 
 hear, to carry on my education in his poems, 
 
 which J began. See what a thorn in the 
 
 flesh I must be to his admirers ! 
 
 We are through ' the Bay ' now, and safely 
 
4 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 past the scene of the Serpent disaster, as I 
 confess I was relieved to be told. The Spanish 
 coast has been in sight all morning, and the day 
 is fairly mild ; but the sun has never yet put in 
 an appearance since we left home, and I do 
 weary to see his face once more — what a differ- 
 ence it makes, both sky and sea are so hopelessly 
 grey and gloomy without him. 
 
 December 9. 
 
 A LOVELY day at last, bright sunshine and 
 delicious air, and we begin to feel that we 
 have left winter behind. I have been long on 
 deck, looking at Cape St. Vincent ; it is a 
 cruelly bleak spot, high and bare of all vegeta- 
 tion ; a terrible spot, surely, for any ship to run 
 ashore. What must it have been in the days 
 when lighthouses were not. 
 
 Letters have to be posted to-night for the 
 Gibraltar mail to-morrow, as we get in very 
 early, and shall not have more than two hours 
 or so on shore. Consequently I am closing this 
 at once ; there is no news in it, but it will tell 
 you we are well, and later on I hope to have 
 more interesting things to chronicle. . . . 
 
 Near Algiers, December 11, 1890. 
 
 NOW we are fairly into sunshine and azure 
 seas, but the wind is still very cold 
 indeed in the mornings and evenings. 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 5 
 
 Yesterday we reached Gibraltar about 7 a.m. 
 The bay, of course, is beautiful, with mountains 
 all round, and the famous Rock, with the town 
 climbing up its sides, in the forefront. Algeciras, 
 where the bull-fights take place, lay white and 
 lovely in the sunshine on the other side of the 
 bay. As soon as we had had an early breakfast 
 we went on shore for two hours ; the Canon went 
 with us, and a young lady who is going out all 
 alone to Sydney to be married ; so we were 
 quite a little party. The drive through the town 
 was curious ; the narrow streets were filled with 
 so many strange-looking people, women with 
 black lace over their heads (but I saw not a 
 single pretty one !), wonderful donkeys laden 
 with more wonderful loads of fruit, vegetables, 
 coals, all sorts of things ; droves of turkeys 
 driven by two men with sticks, as we see cows 
 driven at home — so many unfamiliar sights com- 
 bined with so much that was quite homelike. 
 The soldiers wore such well-known uniforms ; 
 shops marked their wares with English values, 
 and were full of English advertisements ; the 
 streets were named ' King Street,' ' Parliament 
 Lane,' etc., and the effect was strange and 
 bewildering, at least to me. 
 
 We drove through the great fortifications, 
 which I am quite incapable of describing even 
 in the most summary fashion ; past the neutral 
 ground, and looked across it into Spain. And, 
 of course, we visited the 'galleries,' those 
 
6 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 wonderful tunnels cut and blasted in the heart 
 of the rock itself. I rather felt, in the darker 
 parts, as if we were back in the catacombs at 
 Rome, but every here and there we came to 
 an embrasure, with a gun looking out over the 
 bay, and a lovely view of the sunlit waters far 
 below. The galleries that we were allowed to 
 visit were finished quite a hundred years ago, 
 all the work being done by English convicts 
 brought here for the purpose ; but I believe 
 there are many newer ones that the public may 
 not enter. 
 
 There were a good many feeble puns, as you 
 can imagine, anent the ' Canon ' accompanying 
 us to such a place, but he enjoyed them as much 
 as any one else. In the afternoon he took me 
 in hand and gave me a lesson in Browning ; he 
 read to me 'Herve Riel,' 'The Angel and the 
 Boy,' 'Donald,' and 'One Word More'; and I 
 actually enjoyed them, with the help of a little 
 commentary here and there. So I suppose I 
 must now cease to declare that I do not know 
 the Browning language. 
 
 December 13. 
 
 ALGIERS was reached, and we 'landed in 
 Africa' yesterday. I was on the whole 
 rather disappointed with the place, as its situation 
 seemed to me far less beautiful than Mentone ; 
 it reminded me more of Nice — the new part, close 
 to the sea. But the crowds in the streets were 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 7 
 
 delightfully picturesque. Old men with white 
 flowing garments and red fez or turban on 
 their heads; veiled women — a most hideous 
 and corpselike spectacle they are ! people sitting 
 with crossed legs on mats in the streets and 
 at the doors of small mysteriously dark shops ; 
 carts drawn by bullocks, and one that looked 
 as strange as any, harnessed to seven horses 
 in single file ! and many other odd and unfamiliar 
 sights. We drove up the steep hill where the 
 new villas are situated, built for the invalids, 
 who come here in crowds ; some looked most 
 tempting, with lovely views, and gardens liter- 
 ally ablaze with roses, geraniums, clematis, and 
 great beds of a brilliant cactus that reminded 
 me of ' red-hot pokers.' Then we drove through 
 the Moorish town, and tried to get into a 
 mosque. We traversed the grounds about one, 
 and looked at many of the curiously carved 
 tombstones ; and presently we came to a door 
 where we must take off our shoes. I had just 
 unbuttoned my boots, when an old man appeared 
 and told us we could not go in as it was Friday, 
 the Mohammedan Sabbath; and, of course, I 
 only then remembered that I could not fasten 
 my boots again, as I had no buttonhook with 
 me ! It was decidedly a sell. 
 
 The African coast was in sight nearly all 
 yesterday. The mountains were fine, and I 
 amused myself by picking out several that 
 reminded me of 'friends' at home; there was 
 
8 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 a most recognisable Arthur's Seat, and a capital 
 Ben Voirlich. To-day we are coasting Sardinia, 
 and it is most beautiful ; but it is so cold that 
 I have never ventured on deck at all. I had 
 another * lesson in Browning ' ; this time it was 
 'A Letter from Carlisle,' which I really liked, 
 and ' By the Fireside.' 
 
 We hope to get into Naples to-morrow, and 
 to have news of you all; but I hear we start 
 again early in the morning, so we shall have 
 but a few hours there, and I shall not attempt 
 to answer you till we reach the Canal. 
 
 December 16, 1890. 
 
 WE did not get in to Naples when we 
 expected, as a very severe storm on 
 Saturday night delayed us so much that we only 
 arrived at 8 p.m. on Sunday, when it was dark, 
 and as cold as charity. Indeed, the whole day 
 had been bitterly cold, and the Apennines were 
 white with snow. I am sure it could have been 
 no worse with you at home. We did not attempt 
 to go ashore ; I knew the beauties of Naples 
 twenty-seven years ago, and reconciled myself 
 to seeing no more on this occasion than a row 
 of lights round an ample bay. A good many 
 passengers left us there, the Canon, and several 
 others from our own table, among them. We 
 quite miss them, the Canon especially : he was 
 so genial and pleasant that every one liked him. 
 He has promised me a copy of his Lenten 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 9 
 
 Lectures, preached at St. Paul's, and I am to 
 send him the News of Female Missionaries with 
 the account of my Tautira Sunday 1 in it : he 
 declared that he would give me £5 if I would 
 go and tell the story to his Sunday-school 
 children just as I told it to him! So, you see, 
 if all trades fail, I may still turn lecturer. 
 
 We got quite an unexpected budget of letters 
 at Naples, and it was a pleasant surprise to hear 
 from Louis. Both Fanny and he had had a 
 touch of fever from clearing jungle. Lou says 
 that he is devoted to the work, so it is a pity 
 that it should upset him. They were having 
 rather a bad time of it in the way of food : one 
 day they dined on a tin of sprats and supped 
 on a breadfruit, and that was the gift of charity ! 
 It appears that the men-o'-war had all left the 
 bay, and it was consequently no longer worth 
 while to keep food for sale ; the butcher had 
 run away, and the Chinaman had given up his 
 garden and gone off too. Louis was just starting 
 to spend Christmas at Auckland, partly to see 
 an oculist about his eyes, and partly to see 
 Tamate (Mr. Chalmers) once more, before he 
 disappears up the Fly river, perhaps to be one 
 of ' the unreturning home.' Lou adds : ' I have 
 a cultus for Tamate : he is a man nobody can 
 see and not love. Did I tell you I took the 
 chair at his Missionary Lecture, by his own 
 
 1 See From Saranac to the Marquesas and Beyond, p. 193 et seq.; 
 Methuen and Co. 
 
io LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 request? I thought you would like that, and 
 I was proud to be at his side, even for so long. 
 ... I suppose he has faults, like the rest of us, 
 but he is as big as a Church. I am really highly 
 mitonaree x now, as becomes your son. . . .' 
 
 We left Naples early on Monday morning, 
 and, though cold, the weather had improved and 
 made it possible to go on deck. In the after- 
 noon we got into the Straits of Messina, entering 
 between Scylla and Charybdis; the view on 
 either side, and more especially the colouring 
 of the mountains, was very beautiful. Just about 
 sunset Etna came in sight, against an amber 
 background and a purple sky above, with the 
 crescent moon showing clearly green in the midst 
 of it. The town of Messina lay to the right, and 
 sparkled uncertainly through the twilight ; it was 
 really a very wonderful scene, and Etna more 
 than reconciled me to the loss of Vesuvius. 
 
 December 17. 
 
 WARMER and finer, and it is possible to 
 sit on deck and enjoy it. I am very 
 lazily inclined, I confess, and am busy doing 
 nothing. Lloyd is the only person who does 
 any work on board, so far as I can see ; he 
 labours conscientiously over his Samoan books 
 for some hours every forenoon. I meant to 
 have begun my education after leaving Naples, 
 
 1 A Tahitian term, which means anything from Church membership 
 to religion in the abstract. 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA n 
 
 but was recommended to ' wait till after Ismailia, 
 when we can settle down quietly.' 
 
 I am told I must finish this to-night, but I 
 find it impossible to write more with so much 
 talking and music going on about me. ... I 
 hope this will reach you on Christmas Day, and 
 bring you my loving wishes ; you will be all 
 together, and will remember me, I know. I 
 only wish I could look in and join you. Well, 
 at least I will close this with the good old words, 
 A merry Christmas to you, every one, and a 
 very happy New Year ! 
 
 S.S. ' Lusitania] in the Red Sea, 
 December 21, 1890. 
 
 WE have had a busy and exciting time 
 since I finished my last letter to you. 
 We reached Port Said on Thursday at half- 
 past three, and at once went ashore ; where, of 
 course, the first thing we did was to have a 
 donkey-ride. The drivers all speak a little 
 English, of a remarkable kind ; and the donkeys 
 have English names — or, at least, so we were 
 told. I had to choose between ' Two lovely 
 black eyes,' ' Mrs. Langtry,' and ' Scots wha 
 ha'e wi' Wallace bled,' but somehow, patriotism 
 notwithstanding, before I knew where I was I 
 found myself galloping (they are splendid fellows 
 to go !) through the streets on the back of ' Two 
 lovely black eyes.' . . . The motion was wonder- 
 fully easy, and I quite liked it, and felt that it 
 
12 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 was good practice for what lies before me in 
 Samoa! We went to the Arab town, which 
 is so dreadfully dirty that I should not care to 
 venture near it in hot weather. Indeed, we 
 refused to go into an open mosque, much as I 
 had wished to see one ; because, for reasons that 
 I won't enlarge upon, we were really afraid to 
 get into close quarters with the Arabs. 
 
 Afterwards we went to do some shopping, 
 and the scene in the street was most extra- 
 ordinary. The whole population seemed to 
 have turned out, and we could scarcely walk 
 along for people pressing their wares upon us ; 
 they absolutely fought with each other to get 
 near us. The babel of tongues was deafening, 
 and in itself enough to make buying anything 
 almost impossible ; and when a lady with us did 
 buy a hat, we were hemmed in by a crowd of 
 boys with soft baskets, holding them open, and 
 demanding the hat to carry for her. We were 
 obliged to take refuge from our persecutors in a 
 cafe, but it was not much help ; they followed 
 us in, and had to be periodically cleared out by 
 an attendant. Once a Turkish policeman came 
 to the rescue and drove them all out with a 
 stick ; he laid on jas if he were the clown in a 
 pantomime and with about as much effect. And 
 in the midst of this commotion we were amused to 
 notice how the prices of everything came down if 
 we did not seem to wish to buy ; one man, who 
 began by declaring that he would not take less 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 13 
 
 than 1 os. for what appeared to be a silver 
 bracelet, eventually seemed pleased to get 6d. ! 
 
 We returned on board about six o'clock, but 
 found the coaling still going on : it was rather a 
 curious sight. The coals were brought off in 
 lighters that were lit up by fires blazing in 
 braziers ; a couple of planks connected them 
 with the vessel, and the coals were carried in 
 baskets on men's heads. There was a continu- 
 ous stream of black figures going up the one 
 plank with full baskets and down the other 
 with empty ones ; and against the background 
 of blazing fires the effect was very weird and 
 strange. 
 
 About 9 p.m. we started down the Canal, 
 having taken on board the indispensable electric 
 searchlight. It is hired for the purpose, with the 
 electrician in charge, and costs ^"io, I believe, 
 for the night. The purser took us forward to see 
 it, where it was placed in the bow ; it was ex- 
 ceedingly powerful, and lit up both banks of the 
 Canal as if it were day. I wonder how they 
 used to manage without it ! As it was, we were 
 stopped twice during the night by vessels in 
 front of us, and did not reach Ismailia till 8 a.m. 
 on Friday. Here we lost many of our fellow- 
 passengers, no less than fifteen from the first 
 saloon alone ; so that we are now reduced to 
 a party of thirty. The Canal, as I dare say you 
 know, is very uninteresting, just like a railway 
 cutting with banks of sand on either side, though 
 
14 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 here and there one gets a glimpse of rocky hills 
 beyond with strange shades of red upon them. 
 We passed a few house-boats moored to the 
 banks, and I could not help thinking how un- 
 utterably dreary it must be to live in them ; the 
 few green trees clustered about some of the 
 stations were the only thing that broke the deadly 
 monotony. We were quite glad to be cheered 
 up by a conjurer who came on at Suez : a very 
 excellent one, too, who did his tricks on the 
 open deck and in the middle of us, with no 
 apparatus whatever. Once he unwound a strip 
 of muslin from his turban and handed it to two 
 gentlemen sitting by me ; they cut it in two, 
 burned the cut ends with matches, and folded 
 both up together. When the conjurer took an 
 end and shook it, all was whole again, and he 
 tucked it back into his turban as before. . . . 
 
 Christmas Day. 
 
 THIS has been a strange and rather a sad 
 s day to us all, I think. It began in a 
 melancholy way, as one of the sailors died 
 yesterday afternoon and the funeral took place 
 this morning. I thought it was to be very early, 
 but when I went on deck at eight o'clock, I 
 just reached the top of the companion as the 
 body was slid overboard off a plank. It brought 
 my heart to my mouth and sent me below again 
 faster than I had come up. Poor fellow, he 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 15 
 
 caught cold at Ismailia, and it turned to inflam- 
 mation of the lungs. He leaves a wife and 
 children, they say ; what a loss it will be for 
 them. . . . 
 
 At breakfast- time most of us had letters and 
 parcels on our plates, and the saloon was gaily 
 decorated with holly and mistletoe. I was very 
 fortunate, and had more than my share of gifts 
 and cards. Presently we had a good laugh ; 
 some one had hung a bunch of mistletoe right 
 over the captain's seat, though he was quite 
 
 unconscious of it. A Miss , a very quiet, 
 
 nice girl, from whom one would never expect 
 anything ' larky,' went straight up to him and 
 deliberately kissed his bald head. His face was 
 as good as a play, he looked at her with the most 
 comical expression of horror and astonishment, 
 as if he thought she had gone mad, — which he 
 acknowledged he did, after his mind had been 
 relieved and his eyes opened by the general 
 shout of laughter about him. After breakfast 
 there was a distribution of presents to all the 
 children in the steerage, with oranges and apples 
 in addition ; and some one started races for them, 
 with threepenny-pieces for prizes. But about 
 lunch-time the lovely weather we have had since 
 we left Ismailia broke up and the wind rose 
 suddenly ; most of the passengers got ill and 
 disappeared, so that Christmas Day was really 
 the dullest and quietest we have yet spent on 
 board. At dinner we were nearly alone at 
 
1 6 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 table, and in spite of the champagne I insisted 
 on having to drink your health, we were 
 decidedly a quiet, not to say dismal little party. 
 It is at such times that one feels most the dis- 
 tance from home. 
 
 December 29. 
 
 EARLY this morning we crossed the line, 
 r and the weather is now perfect. The 
 thermometer in my cabin stands at 82°, and I 
 have the port open day and night, with a wind- 
 sail put in to make a draught ; on deck there is 
 always enough of a breeze to prevent the heat 
 from feeling oppressive. I have been beginning 
 Samoan, though as yet with small result; the 
 names of the days of the week seem to be the 
 only words that I can get to stick in my mind ! 
 And I have been reading a good deal, too ; 
 amongst other books the Starling. I don't like 
 the minister in it at all, he is surely a great 
 exaggeration ; and even if he were true, I 
 wonder at Norman Macleod sending him forth 
 to the world as a typical Scottish minister. . . . 
 Last night the captain invited us up to his 
 cabin on the bridge and showed us many interest- 
 ing charts and other things ; then he gave us 
 tea and bridecake — he had had about ten lbs. 
 given to him when he was last in Australia ! 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 17 
 
 January 2, 1891. 
 
 A HAPPY New Year, and many of them, 
 to you all. We have had quite a merry 
 time since last I wrote ; very small dissipations 
 are enjoyable at sea, and break the monotony 
 very pleasantly. One night there was a fancy- 
 dress ball, at which I looked on for a little ; the 
 dresses were wonderful, and the effect of the 
 many lights, the draped flags, the moonshine, 
 and the broad light water, was very charming. 
 By day there have been constant cricket- 
 matches, in which I have learnt to be quite 
 interested ; and on New Year's Eve we had a 
 concert on deck and a dance, winding up at 
 midnight with ' Auld Lang Syne/ which I sang 
 with all my heart, thinking of so many New 
 Year parties in the old days, and of so many 
 who had sung it then who will sing it no more. 
 . . . After which festivities (and I hope you 
 will not conclude in consequence !) I spent New 
 Year's Day, or the greater part of it, in bed 
 with a sick headache. . . . 
 
 January 7. 
 
 OUR only fresh event has been the captain's 
 birthday, which we celebrated with right 
 good will. It was quite a dissipated day : the 
 captain invited the ladies to tea in his cabin 
 and gave us most delightful cakes and fruit ; we 
 invited him to dinner at our table, and drank his 
 
18 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 health with all the honours. There was dancing 
 afterwards, and all went off with great spirit; 
 there is something in the sea air, I think, that 
 makes one ready for anything. Not that I mean 
 to suggest that I had any share in the dancing, 
 as that would seem to imply ; I do draw the line 
 at that ! 
 
 We expect to reach Albany some time on 
 Friday, so I am finishing my letter to be ready 
 for the home mail, which is due to leave soon 
 after we get in. . . . 
 
 Saturday ; January 10. 
 
 /t ND God disposes. Since I last wrote we 
 ■*^ have been greatly delayed by a storm 
 which lasted two days, and sent all our bad 
 sailors to bed again. We shall not reach Albany 
 till late to-night, and what is worse, we may miss 
 the home mail, though I still hope we shall be in 
 time for it. This morning we got our first view 
 of Australia — a low barren coast, with belts of 
 scrub growing amid the sand : not much to look 
 at, I must say, but it is pleasant to see land of 
 any sort after the long voyage — that is now so 
 nearly over. . . . 
 
 R.M.S. ' Lusitania,' January n, 1891. 
 
 THE storm on Wednesday and Thursday 
 detained us so long that we had the dis- 
 appointment of seeing the mail steamer pass us 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 19 
 
 on her way to England, just before we reached 
 Albany. It was very provoking to miss her by 
 about an hour only, and to know that our letters 
 that we had hurried to finish would now have to 
 wait at least a week. 
 
 We sighted the coast of West Australia early 
 yesterday morning — low sandhills topped and 
 belted with a very dark-coloured scrub. Later 
 on there were some fine bold cliffs and rocks, 
 but all looked barren and uninhabited. Under 
 the grey sky, with the very dark — in the dis- 
 tance almost quite black — vegetation, I cannot 
 conceive any coast more bleak and desolate ; 
 but I suppose it may look very different in sun- 
 shine. It was 9 p.m. before we reached Albany, 
 and we were not tempted to go on shore ; the 
 night was pitch-dark and very cold, so Albany 
 remains, for me, a cluster of twinkling lights 
 and the bustle of landing and taking in cargo. 
 We sailed again at 3.45 a.m., and in the 
 morning, when we got up, it was pleasant to find 
 letters and newspapers on the breakfast- table ; 
 but you seem to have had a terrible winter at 
 home, what with the Thames frozen over, and 
 the railway strikes in Scotland. I wish I could 
 be sure that you have not suffered in any way. 
 It gives me a very strange sensation to come 
 back again, so suddenly, into the world of daily 
 news and telegraphic despatches ; something 
 like stepping out of ' space unattached ' straight 
 into the narrow ruts made by the wheels of life. 
 
20 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 January 17. 
 
 MELBOURNE at last, and we have come 
 to the end of our long voyage in safety. 
 We have taken exactly six weeks from leaving 
 London, and it has been such a pleasant time 
 that we were quite sorry to part with all our 
 friends on board, and fellow-passengers : I 
 wonder in what compartment of our brain we 
 store these flitting friendships, and all the pleasant 
 kindly faces that we may never meet again, at 
 least on earth, or in our waking hours. Some- 
 times, I am sure, I see them in my dreams. . . . 
 To arrive at a strange place is always rather 
 bewildering, and it leaves a confusion in one's 
 thoughts behind it. I remember a very kind 
 
 welcome from M , a great bustle about 
 
 ' u gg a ge — though we had no difficulty with the 
 customs — and the sight of many faces at once 
 strange and familiar. I was disappointed to find 
 no letter from Louis awaiting me, so I have no 
 idea as yet when or where we shall meet. It is 
 true that Belle 1 sent me a good account of them 
 all, and said the latest news from Samoa was 
 satisfactory, but I long for something more 
 definite. Perhaps I shall hear before I write to 
 you again. . . . 
 
 Sydney, January 18. 
 
 I THINK you will have seen in the Scotsman 
 about the broken shaft of the Liibeck, which 
 will prepare you for my move to Sydney. I knew 
 
 1 Mrs. Strong, the stepdaughter of R. L. S. 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 21 
 
 nothing of Louis coming here, so when I read 
 the account in the papers last Tuesday morning, 
 I got such a shock to think of the danger he had 
 been in that I nearly broke down altogether. I 
 am glad to tell you that it really was not so 
 bad as it was made out ; the Lilbeck was never 
 in the hurricane at all, and the broken shaft, 
 which they managed to patch, was her only 
 danger. But it is considered a triumph of 
 engineering skill that under the circumstances 
 she was only four days late of arrival. 
 
 As Louis had many things to get and to do, 
 and but little time to spare, it did not seem 
 possible for him to go on to Melbourne, and it 
 was arranged that I should leave by train on 
 Friday to join him here. Everything was 
 settled to this effect, when in the middle of 
 lunch on Thursday a telegram was handed in 
 which impressed me in the brutally abrupt way 
 telegrams affect, that — 'Steamer arrangements 
 altered : unless you leave to-day you will not see 
 Louis.' You may fancy what a bombshell this 
 was: I had to rush to my packing, and with 
 
 M 's help I just managed to get ready in 
 
 time. Good-byes were said in a frantic hurry 
 
 and we started for town. M 's house is quite 
 
 a long way out, but we succeeded in reaching 
 
 the station by 5 p.m. I say ' we,' for M and 
 
 several of her family came to see me off. By 
 the bye, I do not think I have said anything 
 to vou about Melbourne, or how it struck me. 
 
22 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 Well, I saw very little of it ; I had only a week 
 
 there, and prepared to spend it quietly with M 
 
 rather than wear myself out with sightseeing. 
 There are fine streets and splendid buildings, 
 but I frequently noticed a perfect palace cheek 
 by jowl with a shabby old wooden house, which 
 reminded me of San Francisco, though the roads 
 and pavements in Australia are much better than 
 in any part of the States that I have visited. As 
 to the railway, I had a tolerably comfortable 
 journey to Sydney, but some parts of the line 
 were badly laid and fearfully rough ; it was quite 
 ludicrous to see how every one was tossed up and 
 down by the bumping of the carriage. The 
 sleeping-cars are perhaps not quite so well 
 arranged as in America, but there is this great 
 compensation, that ladies have a part reserved 
 to themselves, which is much more comfortable, 
 not to say becoming, as I know to my cost from 
 past experience. Indeed, I find it very interest- 
 ing to compare the two countries : Australia is 
 so much more like England than America is, 
 that I often find it difficult to realise that I am in 
 a new country and at the other side of the world. 
 Even in its cold winds and changes of tempera- 
 ture Australia thoroughly deserves its name of 
 ' Greater Britain.' 
 
 I reached Sydney at noon on Friday, and 
 drove straight to the hotel, where I found my 
 dear boy looking brown and well, but decidedly 
 thinner than when I left him. He says he has 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 23 
 
 got thinner lately, for want of better food ; I 
 think I told you before of their difficulties in 
 that respect. It appears that the change of plan 
 about the steamer was quite as great a surprise 
 here as it was to me ; they were all counting on 
 having at least three weeks in which to get 
 together the things required for Vailima, when 
 suddenly it was announced that another steamer 
 was to be put on to replace the Lubeck, and that 
 she would sail at 7 a.m. on Saturday. You may 
 imagine the racing and chasing that took place 
 all Thursday and Friday ; one of the party kept 
 a cab for thirteen hours on the second day, and 
 took his meals standing. When I arrived there 
 was a great consultation as to whether Louis 
 should return at once to Samoa, or wait here for 
 the next steamer ; I threw all my influence into 
 the ' waiting ' scale, and succeeded in persuading 
 him to stay. I felt that he would be all the 
 better for a longer rest ; and by the time he 
 goes back I hope the new house may be so far 
 advanced as to let him take up his abode in it. 
 
 Sydney is a very nice town, thoroughly 
 English in appearance ; and this hotel might 
 have come straight from home, it is most com- 
 fortable in every way. We are in the best part 
 of the town, close to the Domain (the ' Hyde 
 Park ' of Sydney) and the Palace, which is the 
 residence of the Governor, Lord Jersey. The 
 Palace gardens are also open to the public, and 
 include a botanical garden, and I think a zoo- 
 
24 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 logical one also ; at least to-day I came upon 
 large aviaries full of birds of many kinds, though 
 I was too tired to hunt further for beasts. 
 
 This morning I had an interesting surprise. 
 I went with Belle to a Presbyterian church just 
 round the corner ; neither of us knew anything 
 about it, but we tried it on our landlord's recom- 
 mendation. I asked the man who showed us to 
 a seat whether the minister, Dr. Steele, would 
 preach himself ; but he said no, it was to be ' the 
 Missionary.' I fancied he meant the assistant, 
 and expected a young man ; so I was surprised 
 when I saw an old gentleman with very white 
 hair, and a beard that reminded me of John 
 Knox. He had a strong Scottish accent, and 
 preached a good old-fashioned sermon that went 
 to my heart. It was very short, for he soon 
 diverged into a special appeal, and I discovered 
 that he was Dr. Patonof the New Hebrides, whose 
 book had so greatly interested and delighted me. 
 He gave us some very interesting details of his 
 work and life, and I hope that before I leave 
 Sydney I may both hear and see more of him. 
 
 In the afternoon, while walking in the park, I 
 found much preaching going on, nicely varied to 
 suit all tastes. The first man I met was lectur- 
 ing on Free Thought, and declared that all the 
 old superstitions were dying out ; he spent most 
 of his time in praising Bradlaugh and Mrs. 
 Besant, etc. etc. I did not listen long there. 
 At the next group I found a very vulgar Irish- 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 25 
 
 man giving an Evangelistic address ; the matter 
 was good, but the manner left much to be 
 desired. Further on the Salvation Army people 
 were telling the same tale in (to put it mildly) a 
 much more cheerful way, and, I must say, with 
 less vulgarity. Add to this a number of less 
 noticeable groups all discoursing in their own 
 fashion, and a great many gatherings of children 
 singing hymns-— ambulatory' Sunday schools, so 
 to speak — and you will concede that a walk 
 through the Domain on a Sunday afternoon is 
 at least not monotonous. 
 
 As to-morrow proves to be a public holiday 
 here, I find the home mail closes to-night, and, 
 as usual, I must finish in a hurry. I shall stay 
 here till Louis's departure, then go on to New 
 Zealand, visiting Wellington and Christchurch, 
 and start for Samoa in April ; sooner than that 
 Louis insists I must not go, as March is the 
 most trying month in the whole year, especially 
 to newcomers. Some time in April, however, I 
 hope, if all is well, to be ' at home.' 
 
 Sydney, January 31, 1891. 
 
 WE have left the hotel, and are very com- 
 fortably established in a boarding-house 
 where Belle has already been staying for some 
 time. Our windows look out upon the Domain, 
 and the beautifully wooded park rises just oppo- 
 site us in a green hill crowned by the Roman 
 Catholic cathedral ; the grass is as green as in 
 
26 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 England, and there are many of our own ' home ' 
 trees, varied by curious-looking pines, a sort of 
 wild fig that is very handsome, but produces no 
 edible fruit, and many others that I do not know. 
 ... A good many of our fellow-boarders are 
 connected with the stage ; they are rather a 
 mixed set, but we only see them at meal-times, 
 as we have a sitting-room to ourselves. One 
 man greatly puzzled me, as I was told he was a 
 ' Professor,' yet his appearance made it difficult 
 to conceive what in the world he could ' pro- 
 fess ' ; at last I discovered he was the manager 
 of a magic-lantern show ! I felt satisfied, as I 
 could believe that his talents might be sufficient 
 for that flight. Still, I may be doing him a great 
 injustice, and judging him from rather unfortu- 
 nate externals, as I believe he frequented a good 
 club in London, and is acquainted with some 
 very eminent men. 
 
 Louis thinks this place much quieter than the 
 hotel, and he is certainly less often disturbed by 
 visitors ; while, when he wishes to be sociable, 
 he has only to go to the club, where he lunches 
 every day. He is trying hard to get the South 
 Sea letters finished, but confesses that he is not 
 in the least in the mood for writing ; it is vexing, 
 and I am sure it keeps him from enjoying the 
 rest and change as he otherwise would. He will 
 start for Samoa on the 19th February, and I for 
 New Zealand about the same time, but the date 
 of the steamer's departure is not out yet. 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 27 
 
 The accounts of the cold at home are quite 
 alarming, but I see no especial mention of Edin- 
 burgh in the papers, so I hope it is keeping up 
 
 to the character that G claims for it as ' the 
 
 best winter climate in the world ' ! All the same, 
 I think you could do with a little of the heat that 
 might well be spared here. I like Sydney much ; 
 the town is pretty and pleasant, and thoroughly 
 English in its main characteristics ; the climate 
 too is generally delightful, by all accounts, save 
 for the hot winds. Last Tuesday we had one of 
 these inflictions, and I have no desire to endure 
 another. The thermometer in my room generally 
 ranges from 76 to 84°, but that day it went up 
 to 94 , and stayed there, and the hot air had a 
 peculiarly stifling and breathless effect that was 
 most unpleasant. Strange to say, there are no 
 appliances to keep out the heat here, not even 
 an outside blind as we have at home, or outside 
 shutters as they have in France and Germany. 
 Every one just suffers and grumbles when the 
 hot winds come. 
 
 Sunday, February 1. 
 
 I WE NT to church to-day, hoping to hear Dr. 
 Paton again, but was disappointed to find 
 the service taken by another and far less interest- 
 ing man, who, moreover, spoke so low and in- 
 distinctly that I heard little of what he said. In 
 the afternoon I went into the Park, and listened 
 to the various services going on. Besides those 
 
28 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 that I heard last week, I came on a rabid 
 ' total abstinence ' man, and a woman lecturing 
 rather frantically on women's rights and wrongs. 
 All these violences are very unsavoury to me ; 
 surely it is possible to do what is right, and even 
 to advocate it, without screaming. . . . 
 
 We have done very little sight-seeing of any 
 kind ; but we had one very pleasant drive to the 
 Heads, or entrance to the harbour, a narrow and 
 dangerous-looking passage between high cliffs. 
 There were lovely views of the harbour all the 
 way ; indeed, one never seems to leave its shores 
 for long, as the town overruns many necks and 
 peninsulas of land which are surrounded by the 
 lovely blue waters. We visited a large and im- 
 portant lighthouse at the Heads ; it is electric, 
 and though much larger than the one on the 
 May, 1 the apparatus seemed to be very similar 
 in style and arrangement. The keeper who 
 showed us over it said the lights were designed 
 and planned by a young Englishman only twenty- 
 one years of age, but he did not remember his 
 name. I wonder who he could be. ... It was 
 a delightful drive, though the heat was very 
 great ; indeed, it has been very hot ever since I 
 came here. To-day it is a modified hot wind 
 again, and a regular duststorm is blowing out- 
 side. I can stand heat, but I don't like the hot 
 winds at all. However, what can one expect in 
 a country where the sun goes round widderskins, 
 
 1 Isle of May, in the Forth. 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 29 
 
 as I discovered it did this morning ! ! There are 
 bound to be a few little drawbacks under such 
 topsy-turvy conditions ! 
 
 Sydney, February 15, 1891. 
 
 TH E only piece of news that I have time to 
 send you to-day is a vexing one ; Louis 
 has been in bed ever since I last wrote, with 
 what seemed at first to be no more than a slight 
 cold, and which we hoped he would throw off. 
 I fancy, however, he got a slight extra chill, for 
 instead of getting better, he was decidedly worse, 
 and we have been very anxious about him. I 
 felt it all the more as, having a slight cold my- 
 self, I was excluded for some time from his room 
 to prevent further infection ; but he is improving 
 at last, and the doctor still hopes to patch him 
 up sufficiently to get him off in the Liibeck on 
 Wednesday evening. I trust he may be able for 
 it, as otherwise poor Fanny will be terribly 
 anxious. I would fain go with him and give up 
 my New Zealand trip, but I hope that the doctor 
 will decide the question this afternoon, so that I 
 shall be able to tell you something more definite 
 before I close this. ... He has just been to see 
 his patient, and says he is still in a very unsatis- 
 factory state, exceedingly weak and low. No- 
 thing can be settled in the meantime ; but unless 
 there is very marked improvement, I don't see 
 how Lou can possibly start for Samoa on Wednes- 
 day. If he does go, I think I shall almost cer- 
 
30 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 tainly go with him ; but you see all my plans are 
 reduced to chaos, and I am only thankful I told 
 you not to write to New Zealand, as I shall 
 probably put off my visits there for the present. 
 I can tell you nothing more just now, and you 
 must wait for the next mail for anything definite : 
 this mere scrap must suffice for to-day. . . . 
 
 On board the ' Liibeck,' February 22, 1891. 
 
 I FANCY the few lines I wrote last must have 
 prepared you for a gap in my letters ; this 
 one will perhaps not reach you for some time, 
 but it can't be helped, and I had no leisure to 
 write again before I started. Louis was so much 
 weakened by his chill that I could not make up 
 my mind to let him go without me. I spoke to 
 the doctor about it, and though he would say 
 nothing definite at first, he told me to be ready to 
 start in case it was necessary. On Tuesday, the 
 day before the steamer sailed, Louis was de- 
 cidedly better, though still very weak ; and the 
 doctor told me that he thought there was now no 
 actual need for my going with him, but that he 
 would advise me to do so, for my own sake as 
 well as for Louis's, as he knew I would be anxious 
 about him. I was thankful to hear him say this, 
 as I should certainly have been miserable if left 
 behind, and we were speedily making all the 
 necessary arrangements. I had a very busy time, 
 owing to such a sudden change of plans, and the 
 weather was so oppressively hot that it was 
 
ldSTTJUJiS FROM SAMOA 31 
 
 doubly difficult to do anything at all, but some- 
 how we got through. We brought Louis on 
 board straight from his bed on the Wednesday 
 evening at 8 p.m., and I am thankful to say that 
 the change, and the sea-air, have as usual worked 
 wonders. He had a good night, and was actually 
 up to breakfast next morning ! Of course he is 
 very well known, and very much at home, on this 
 boat, and I was amused, when I asked the assist- 
 ant-steward on Thursday morning whether Mr. 
 Stevenson had had his tea, to be answered with 
 an air of dignified reproof, that ' he always had 
 it at six o'clock ' ! 
 
 Unfortunately we have had rather bad weather 
 ever since we started : cloudy and sunless, with 
 a very heavy sea that is constantly washing over 
 us and making the decks like a river. Yesterday 
 it was almost impossible to move about ; this is 
 bad for Louis and keeps him back, but he is so 
 much better that I do not worry about it. This 
 is a most comfortable little vessel, and in some 
 respects compares very favourably with the larger 
 boats that I have known. The cabins have little 
 wardrobes for hanging clothes in, a convenience 
 I have never seen elsewhere ; and in two of them 
 there are also chests of drawers, the top of which 
 is arranged as a writing-table, . . . We have 
 only two fellow-passengers in the first-class : a 
 commercial traveller, who is visiting the islands 
 on business, and a young English girl going to 
 Samoa as a missionary, but who has as yet been 
 
32 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 so ill with sea-sickness that I have scarcely seen 
 her. The officers are all German, and very kind 
 and pleasant ; but unfortunately most of them 
 speak very little English, which makes them slow 
 to speak, and me very slow to understand. 
 
 Friday, February 27. 
 
 WE have lovely weather again, and Louis 
 much better, though still bothered with 
 a painful cough which sometimes distresses him 
 a good deal. 
 
 This morning I was up before six to see the 
 entrance to Tonga. We passed through a perfect 
 archipelago of small islands, some of them very 
 like the Paumotus, mere groups of coconut palms 
 apparently growing out of the water ; others with 
 little green hills that gave quite a variety to the 
 scenery. Tonga itself has a surprisingly green 
 hill immediately behind the town, with the 
 Wesleyan chapel on the very top of it ; the 
 palace of King George and his private chapel 
 are very pretty buildings, and the whole of the 
 little town is admirably clean and bright, with 
 its trim streets and rows of neat little wooden 
 
 houses. Miss M (the young missionary) 
 
 and I went ashore immediately after breakfast ; 
 she was very thirsty and wanted to get some 
 oranges, so we went to several small shops, but 
 to our surprise could find none. At last we 
 noticed a few lying on a window-ledge, and I 
 suggested we might at least inquire there ; and 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 33 
 
 you can imagine our surprise when we found 
 that the little native house was inhabited by an 
 Englishman. He at once begged us to come 
 in and rest, and gave us empty packing-cases to 
 sit upon, while he despatched a native to fetch us 
 a basket of oranges and bananas, and himself 
 regaled us with deliriously cool coconut juice. 
 Finally he constituted himself our guide and took 
 us round the ' town,' showing us all that was to 
 be seen, and calling our attention to a great deal 
 that we should not have noticed or understood 
 without him. He gave us his card, and I found 
 that he was educated in Glasgow and had been 
 in the navy ; but exactly what he does at Tonga 
 I could not discover. I shall not soon, however, 
 forget his kindness to two poor ' lone females.' 
 
 We were not able, as it happened, to visit the 
 Palace and ' Chapel Royal,' as the king is away 
 in another island, and during his absence the 
 buildings are locked up. There is an official in 
 charge, who has the key, but he had 'gone off to 
 the bush,' and retreated from public life with the 
 key still in his pocket, or whatever is the Tongan 
 equivalent. At any rate, as we had but two 
 hours or so on shore, we had no time to send in 
 search of him. 
 
 March 4. 
 
 I AM back again on the Liibeck, after having 
 had my first glimpse of the new home in 
 Samoa. 
 We sighted Upolu early on Sunday morning ; 
 
34 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 the scenery is fine, though I could not allow that 
 I thought it as striking as either Tahiti or the 
 Marquesas. The intense greenness made me call 
 it the Ireland of the Pacific ; but of course this 
 is the midst of the rainy season, and the verdure, 
 always vivid here, is at its brightest. Just 
 before we turned the last point into the bay of 
 Apia, Vailima came into sight high up among 
 the splendid woods ; we could even see both 
 houses, old and new, to Louis's great delight, as, 
 when he left, the new one was still invisible from 
 the sea. His love for the place was strong in his 
 eyes as he looked at it and pointed it out to me. 
 Apia itself is very like other little South Sea 
 towns, and not very remarkable. Houses and 
 churches, the German Hospital conspicuous 
 amongst them, are scattered round a very open 
 bay amidst coconut palms, bread-fruits, and 
 bananas ; but neither the vegetation nor the 
 immediate surroundings of the town are very 
 noteworthy. One must leave Apia behind 
 before it is possible to see anything of the real 
 loveliness of the island. . . . Lloyd came off to 
 meet us, and was, of course, greatly surprised to 
 see me, especially as Lou is so much better that 
 it must have been difficult to believe he had 
 needed my company. However, we sent off 
 Louis at once on his own horse, while I followed 
 slowly on Lloyd's, with him walking beside me ; 
 and so I made my way for the first time on the 
 path that I suppose will soon be so familiar. It 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 35 
 
 lies in the woods for the whole way, and the 
 rain had made it pretty bad going in places ; 
 and under the trees I found the steaminess rather 
 trying and oppressive. When we reached 
 Vailima, however, it was all the more delicious 
 to emerge into the ample light and space ; the 
 clearing lay open to the sky, with wide and 
 lovely views seaward, and a sweet freshness of 
 air blowing in from the water. 
 
 I found Fanny looking wonderfully well, in 
 spite of all the troubles and hard work she has 
 had lately. About a fortnight ago, for instance, 
 they had a regular hurricane, and were obliged 
 to take refuge in the stable, as it was the 
 'solidest' structure available. Fortunately the 
 horses had not yet taken possession of it, and 
 
 Fanny, Lloyd, Mr. K , x and Paul the cook 
 
 had each a stall for a bedroom ; but the rain got 
 in very badly, and they could cook no food for 
 several days. Was it not a mercy that Lou was 
 not there at the time ? Of course the new house 
 (when it is ready) will be water-tight and (we 
 hope) securely founded ; but the little old one is 
 not to be trusted in bad weather. When fine, it 
 is comfortable enough, though so small that no 
 extra person can be squeezed into it. The lower 
 floor is kitchen, harness-room, and cook's bed- 
 room ; and the upper one is sitting- and bed-room 
 for Louis and Fanny. I had to sleep on the 
 couch, which was covered with mats, and did 
 
 1 The overseer. 
 
36 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 very well for a night or so ; but when I saw how 
 limited the accommodation was, I quite agreed 
 with Louis that I had better go back with the 
 Lubeck to pay my promised visit to New Zealand, 
 and return here when there will really be room 
 for me — not long now, as they are getting on 
 fast. In fact the new house is roofed in, and 
 will be finished in a fortnight or so, though of 
 course everything, both in and out, is very back- 
 woods-y as yet, and it will take quite a long while 
 to put into anything like order. The nearer 
 waterfall was very full and beautiful after the 
 rains, but Fanny has not yet planted her sweet- 
 smelling water-lilies ; her gardens, however, are 
 making wonderful progress in so short a time, 
 and she has already onions, turnips, parsley, 
 tomatoes, green peppers, taro, bananas, coffee, 
 the chocolate plant, 1 vanilla, and I can't tell you 
 how many more, growing and thriving splendidly. 
 Asparagus, too, seems to do very well. And 
 you must not think that in every sense it is easy 
 to grow things here, or at least, I should say, to 
 get the work done as you want it. To show the 
 constant supervision that is required, I will tell 
 you what happened while she was showing me 
 round. The vanilla plants, which are climbers, 
 are put in at the roots of trees, and a red thread 
 is then tied round each tree, to show that it is 
 tapu, and not to be meddled with ; but presently 
 we came on a native who had been set to work 
 
 1 More correctly, cacao. 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 37 
 
 ' clearing,' and who had forgotten, or misunder- 
 stood, what the red thread meant, and had 
 particularly bent his energies to 'howking' up, 
 not the many worthless plants all about, but as 
 many of the precious vanilla plants as time had 
 permitted ! Fortunately, they were not wholly 
 destroyed, but Fanny had to replant them 
 again, and hope for the best. 
 
 It was too wet underfoot for me to get about 
 much, unfortunately, and on Monday afternoon 
 such a deluge of rain came on, accompanied by 
 thunder and lightning, that I was half afraid I 
 should be storm-stayed at Vailima, while all 
 my possessions went back to Sydney with the 
 steamer. Luckily it cleared for a short time 
 early on Tuesday morning, and soon after 6 a.m. 
 I rode down to Apia, guided by a very pleasant 
 native ' boy ' called Lafaele, which is Samoan for 
 Raphael. Lloyd met me, and conveyed me on 
 board the Liibeck ; he has been living in Apia 
 for a few days, having been pressed into service 
 by the American consul, who in certain cases 
 has to get two American citizens to help or 
 advise with him. I wonder if I told you that, 
 when Lloyd came to Samoa, he had for fellow- 
 travellers the English and German land-com- 
 missioners, and they all got on well together, 
 and nicknamed him Brother Jonathan. . . . 
 
 I left Louis much better, but I am vexed to 
 think that there is still a month of the wet 
 season before him. If only he gets through 
 
38 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 that well, he will have nine months of glorious 
 weather to look forward to ; and in a climate he 
 enjoys so much, and which suits him so well, 
 that ought to mean a great deal. Of course the 
 small house, in which he lives at present, is most 
 primitive ; for instance, the upper floor is reached 
 by two outside stairs, of which the one at the 
 back has a sort of handrail coming about half- 
 way down at one side only, while no kind 
 Providence has provided any protection at all to 
 the stair in front. Belle will occupy this little 
 house when Louis and Fanny move to the new 
 one. . . . The hours kept at Vailima are primi- 
 tive too ; we breakfasted at 6 a.m., lunched at 1 1, 
 and dined at 5. About 9 p.m. Louis takes a 
 biscuit and a little whisky and water, and then 
 goes off to bed. 
 
 As to the natives, they are quite different in 
 colour from the Tahitians, much yellower, more 
 like Egyptians in tint ; and they dye their hair 
 a curious red-chestnut, and wear it in light curls 
 close to the head. Many of them are very hand- 
 some fellows, and extremely well made ; they 
 still tattoo themselves, and wear very little in 
 the way of clothes, generally only a loin-cloth or 
 pariu — though that is a Tahitian name for it, 
 and it is called something else here. In the 
 heavy rain and steam I rather envied them. I 
 saw no full-blooded native women in the short 
 time I was there, but a few very good-looking 
 half-castes. Louis has a very nice Samoan 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 39 
 
 working for him just now, called ' Henry '(!); 
 he is really a chief in Savaii, where his father 
 lately died, but when he goes to ' take posses- 
 sion ' he must give such great feasts that he has 
 not enough money, and is working for Louis to 
 supply the deficiency. He superintends the 
 black boys who are building the house, and is 
 exceedingly useful and reliable. He has a 
 pleasant face and very good manners ; Lou 
 gives him lessons in English, and he says he 
 wishes to learn to be a real English chief from 
 the heart out, and he thinks no one else can 
 teach him that so well as Louis. . . . 
 
 And now we are well on our way to Sydney, 
 with quite a surprising number, for the Lilbeck, 
 of first-class passengers. I have got a fearful 
 lot of commissions to do when we arrive for the 
 Vailima people ; as Lloyd remarked, ' That will 
 teach you to come to Samoa for a two- days' 
 visit ! ' The weather is delightful, and once at 
 sea we got quite away from the damp steamy 
 land-heat. 
 
 Sydney, March 14. 
 
 HERE I am on land once more, after a very 
 unusually fast voyage, a day under the 
 record, I believe. I found many letters await- 
 ing me, and good news of you all ; and I was 
 very glad to hear that Professor Swan liked the 
 Ballads. I saw in a Samoan paper that all the 
 critics were down upon them, but nothing very 
 bad has reached us yet; only that Lou could 
 
4° LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 have done them much better in prose, which at 
 all events is a sort of back-handed compliment 
 to the author. 
 
 I can't get a steamer to Lyttelton till next 
 Friday; it is provoking to lose ten days when 
 it is already so late in the season, but it can't 
 be helped ; and I shall probably give up the trip 
 to the Lakes, and content myself with quietly 
 visiting my old friends near Dunedin. 
 
 Melbourne, March 22. 
 
 HERE is another surprise for you! Owing 
 to quite a little chapter of — well, let us 
 say, difficulties, I am back once more in Mel- 
 bourne. The steamer from Sydney put off its 
 sailing twice over, which I thought was really 
 too bad ; and I found, moreover, that the cabins 
 were all full, and my only chance of comfort 
 (and privacy) would depend on the stewardess's 
 being willing to let me have her own cabin. I 
 went on board to inquire about this, but was so 
 little taken with the boat generally that I gave 
 up all thought of travelling in her, and decided 
 to go via Melbourne. I had already been told 
 that this was the best route, but I was anxious 
 to avoid, if possible, the long and lonely land- 
 journey over again. However, I got over it 
 pretty well, though I arrived fairly worn out 
 and fit only to go to bed ; and since then I have 
 spent some very pleasant days in the midst of 
 many friends. . . . 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 41 
 
 March 28. 
 
 CN route for New Zealand at last, in a small 
 J-^ but very comfortable boat, with the luxury 
 of a little cabin all to myself. The fact is, that 
 it happens to be located just above the screw, 
 and so is not popular ; but I am quite willing 
 to put up with that inconvenience in return for 
 the privilege of being alone. This, of course, is 
 merely a postscript to let you know my where- 
 abouts ; all yesterday we were sailing through 
 Bass's Straits (between Tasmania and Flinders 
 Island), and to-day we call at Hobart, where I 
 shall post this letter, as it will reach you sooner 
 than if I carry it on to Dunedin. I, alas ! cannot 
 hope for more letters from you till I get back 
 to Samoa, about the end of May, which at this 
 moment seems a very far-away date indeed ; 
 perhaps because I feel just now doubly home- 
 sick — for Scotland and for Samoa. My lode- 
 stars are far apart, you will say; but then the 
 North and South Poles always have the whole 
 world between them ! 
 
 Queenstown, New Zealand, 
 Sunday, April 5. 
 
 HERE I am at Queenstown, on Lake 
 Wakatipu, with a very lovely view of the 
 lake from my bedroom window before me as I 
 write. It strikes me as resembling Loch Long 
 — to give you some general idea of it ; but there 
 is much less vegetation, and the great mountain- 
 
42 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 sides rise sheer out of water so deep that the 
 steamer lies easily against the very shore. But 
 I must at least tell you how I got here. 
 
 We reached the Bluff, the first landing-place 
 in New Zealand, on the ist April, and I could 
 
 not but think of dear J 's 1 arrival there 
 
 twenty-eight long years ago. How I wished he 
 and his were here still. ... I expected the 
 Bluff to be some sort of a cliff, and cannot 
 remember ever hearing that it was not ; but it 
 is nothing of the kind, only a sandy beach, and 
 our captain declared that the only piece of bluff 
 about it is its name ! I went on shore, and 
 found a very small town surrounded by low 
 bare hills, on one of which is the signal-post ; 
 but though I walked up to it, I was not greatly 
 repaid by the view, and my first impressions 
 of New Zealand were unenthusiastic, which I 
 
 regretted for dear J 's sake. Early on 
 
 Thursday morning, however, we reached Port 
 Chalmers, and in the morning sunlight the town 
 amid its encircling hills was most beautiful. The 
 atmosphere here has a wonderful purity that I 
 noticed at once ; it reminds me of Italy. 
 
 I did not stay long at Dunedin, though I shall 
 probably return there later. It is a very fine 
 town, much changed and enormously grown 
 since the days when we used to hear so much 
 
 1 Mrs. Stevenson's youngest brother, who was Marine Engineer to 
 the Colony of New Zealand up to his death in 1869, and was greatly 
 esteemed. A glacier in the Alps of the South Island is named after 
 him. 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 43 
 
 about it ; but I dare say in those early gold- 
 digging times it was more interesting and charac- 
 teristic. Now it is just a ' big toun,' with 
 many handsome streets and buildings and most 
 beautiful surroundings, and a very homelike 
 look that made it hard to remember that I was 
 not still in my ' ain countree.' I visited some 
 of the places we used to know so well by hear- 
 say. The ' Cottage ' is away, moved bodily to 
 a site outside the town, and on its garden four 
 new houses are built. And the cemetery, high 
 up on the hillside, is just what I had imagined 
 and wished it to be ; beautifully tended, full of 
 sunshine and wind, with a great view over the 
 water ; a ' look-out ' place. . . . 
 
 Yes, it is all very homelike. Even Lake 
 Wakatipu disconcerts me by looking so per- 
 sistently familiar, and though I know all is on 
 a far grander scale than anything at home, yet 
 when I raise my eyes I look out on a curve of 
 shore and upward sweep of hill that takes me 
 straight back to Scotland and to you. Well, 
 it is good to find something of 'home' so far 
 away! 
 
 April 15. 
 
 ON the 6th we went by steamer to the head 
 of the lake, starting at six in the morn- 
 ing and reaching Glenorchy about ten. Thence 
 we drove through the bush to Diamond Lake 
 and Paradise ; the mountains all had their night- 
 
44 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 caps on, for the morning was misty and the air 
 like spun silver. Our driver assured us that the 
 afternoon would be clear ; but we were quite 
 content, as we felt nothing could have been 
 more tantalisingly beautiful than the shining 
 shifting veil that floated about us, and I never 
 knew before the countless shades of green and 
 grey that one's eye can perceive and enjoy. 
 We lunched at Paradise, and walked to some 
 of the best ' view-places ' to get some idea of 
 the loveliness of mountain and lake ; and when 
 we started on the return journey, we found our 
 man had been a true prophet, and that what 
 had been cloudland before was now a wonderful 
 alpine, world. There was Earnslaw, magnificent 
 in outline, and the great Cosmos peaks ; and 
 the Humboldt range, and a fine glacier. The 
 air was delicious, but decidedly cold ; and no 
 wonder, for it came straight to us from ice and 
 snow. You can imagine that we slept well that 
 night, after fourteen hours in that exquisite 
 freshness of atmosphere, crisp and pure as it is 
 only found, I think, in the midst of mountains. 
 
 Then we came on here — Fendalton — and it 
 seems to me I have just stepped across the 
 border, with Scotland still in sight. In the 
 garden the chrysanthemums grow in riotous 
 masses of red and white and yellow, and scarlet 
 verbena and mignonette flower all the year 
 round like hardy weeds ; there is a pretty little 
 burn that runs close by, and the hedges are all 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 45 
 
 of whin and still afire with blossom. There are 
 many poplars, their leaves in every shade of 
 autumn beauty, from lemon-yellow to deepest 
 gold; and in the distance rise the snow-clad 
 peaks of a fine range of mountains. I was pre- 
 pared for the English look of the great Canter- 
 bury plains, but to find the mountains here too 
 was a surprise and joy to me. 
 
 . . . On Wednesday Mr. S took me to 
 
 the Maori pah at Kaiapoi, where he and his 
 wife lived for so long ; I saw Maoris practically 
 for the first time, and went to the school to hear 
 the children sing hymns, which they do remark- 
 ably well. I cannot but think them inferior to 
 our Samoan Islanders, though I saw many 
 pleasant and intelligent faces among them ; but 
 European clothes do vulgarise all these brown 
 people so terribly. It is a pity that the ugliest 
 style of dress in existence seems destined to 
 overrun the world. . . . Also, so far as I can 
 judge from the very little I have seen of them, 
 the Maoris are precisely arrived at the most 
 unbecoming stage of civilisation, and are no 
 longer picturesque ; for instance, I saw no tatoo- 
 ing at all, and I believe it is given up. Yet it is 
 not very many years since there was a veritable 
 trade (or so they say) in the heads of dead 
 Maoris, as specimens of what the art of tatooing 
 could achieve ! 
 
 I feel as if it were my duty to give you some- 
 thing in the way of local information before I 
 
46 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 finish this. Well, ... I saw to-day a New 
 Zealand bird that has no wings, and that hatches 
 her eggs in an incubator of her own ingenious 
 contrivance, covering them over with withered 
 leaves that decay and form a natural hotbed. 
 She does not abrogate her further duties, how- 
 ever, as when the chicks come out she is on 
 the watch, and ready to take charge of them. 
 . . . Perhaps I ought to add that I only made 
 the acquaintance of the Kiwi in . . . the museum 
 at Christchurch ! 
 
 May 3, on board the ' Takapuna.' 
 
 I AM now en route for Auckland, and I have 
 left not only Feudalton and our kind friends 
 
 the S s, but also Wellington, behind me. At 
 
 the latter place I spent a very pleasant week, 
 and found it all too short ; so we planned another 
 visit in the future, when I shall escape the rainy 
 season in Samoa by running over here. . . . 
 To-day our chief enjoyment has been the view 
 of Mount Egmont, which reminds me very 
 strongly of the pictures of Fuji Yama in Japan ; 
 it is an almost perfect cone, and entirely covered 
 with snow, new-fallen in the last two days, and 
 radiantly white and pure. In the morning the 
 mountain was veiled with clouds, but they gradu- 
 ally lifted till at last we saw it perfectly clear 
 to the very top, and beautifully outlined against 
 the sky. I watched it till the light died away, and 
 hoped to see the rosy ' afterglow ' when the sun 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 47 
 
 had set ; but although the horizon was rosy, the 
 colour did not rise high enough to tint the snow. 
 I think it is the most beautiful mountain — among 
 many — that I have seen in New Zealand. 
 
 S.S. ' Wainut,' May 9. 
 
 WE are four days out on our way to Samoa, 
 and I feel myself nearing home at last : 
 on Friday next I hope to finish my wanderings, 
 and I shall not be sorry to rest and settle down 
 after seven months ' on the move.' How delight- 
 ful it will be to be with my dear children, and 
 to get news of you all, too, after these last eight 
 weeks or more without either letters or papers ! 
 
 I was very glad to find I had but a short time 
 to wait at Auckland, as I was wearying to start 
 for Samoa. It was pleasant, too, to discover 
 that I had excellent quarters on a very comfort- 
 able boat. I have a nice cabin to myself, and 
 though there are several passengers, there is 
 plenty of room for every one. I like company, 
 but I confess I detest a crowd ! Most of the 
 passengers, I find, go off at Tonga; and at 
 present nearly all the ladies are more or less 
 sea-sick, and very rarely put in an appearance 
 at meals. One, a missionary's wife, has been 
 in bed ever since we started, and her youngest 
 child, a mere baby, cries almost all day and 
 night. ... At night I am the only lady well 
 enough to take a hand at whist, but we generally 
 
48 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 have two rubbers, in which the captain always 
 joins us. 
 
 Yesterday, the 12 th, we reached Tonga, and 
 I enjoyed our time there very much. The 
 weather was perfect, deliciously warm, yet with 
 a fresh breeze and everything on shore looking 
 at its best, and, moreover, as two of the ladies 
 who had come with us in the Wainui live at 
 Tonga, they were very kind in showing me 
 all there was to be seen. One of them, Mrs. 
 
 W , took me to the king's chapel, which 
 
 on my last visit I had found locked up ; it is 
 quite a pretty building, lined throughout with 
 polished wood, but I was disappointed to learn 
 that all the ornamental parts came from Auck- 
 land. I was much more interested in the native 
 church, which is all of home workmanship ; the 
 roof, decorated inside with lengths of Tongan 
 wood tied together in patterns with coco-fibre 
 sinnet, is curious, and really effective. The 
 building is a very long oval, and I felt very 
 doubtful whether people sitting at the far end 
 could hear much of the preaching ; but when 
 our curiosity led us to experiment, I was sur- 
 prised to find that every syllable was perfectly 
 and clearly audible. I should not have thought 
 the shape of the church would have been so 
 good acoustically. As we came away, I got 
 a distant view of King George sitting in his 
 garden, an old man with white head and white 
 shirt. I had been rather anxious to visit him, 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 49 
 
 but now that he is over ninety, he is not very 
 fond of receiving strangers, so I was quite 
 content with this peep. 
 
 This morning I went for a drive, to get a 
 general impression of the place. The roads 
 are all covered with grass, and even the wharf 
 is grass-grown ; but they are all broad and 
 generally shady. The native houses are oval 
 in shape, and must, I think, be rather dark 
 inside, as I could see no windows, and their 
 walls are hot mere lattices, like the Tahitian 
 'bird-cages.' They stand generally in groups 
 of five or six, scattered about amidst beautiful 
 flowering shrubs, in a sort of compound ; horses 
 and pigs were tethered here and there on the 
 grass, and each little colony looked very peace- 
 ful and prosperous. Indeed, that is the general 
 impression that one gathers of the green little 
 town ; it looks very orderly, very well behaved, 
 and very well-to-do. I cannot tell, however, 
 how far the impression is trustworthy ; and I 
 know that Tonga has unfortunately to look on at 
 rather pronounced sectarian differences. Indeed, 
 there has recently been a split in the Methodist 
 Church, with the result that there is now a 
 ' Free Church ' community as well ; and, as my 
 friends who were so kindly taking me about 
 belonged to the former, I did not like to ask 
 many questions, lest I should find myself in 
 troubled waters. ... I saw the Roman Catholic 
 cathedral, which is a fine and important building 
 
So LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 of white coral, that looks just like marble ; and 
 I called at the house of a native minister, where 
 I got two pieces of very fine tapa. I also was 
 presented with a bag of lemons and two large 
 yams. I had never seen a yam before, and was 
 amazed to find that they are about three feet 
 long. I am taking them with me to Samoa, 
 and shall tell you later how they impress me 
 from the culinary point of view. 
 
 May 15. 
 
 WE reached Vavau about midnight on 
 Wednesday, and I went on deck to 
 enjoy the scene. The wharf was crowded with 
 natives chattering and laughing and lighting 
 German matches, which burn with coloured 
 flames and give quite the impression of an illu- 
 mination in a very small way. Vavau is a 
 beautiful place, a landlocked bay of considerable 
 extent, surrounded by low wooded hills. I went 
 ashore before breakfast and wandered from alley 
 to alley — I cannot call them streets — between 
 orange-trees laden with fruit ; the scent was 
 indescribable, and the shade deliciously dense 
 and cool. I brought two great baskets of the 
 fruit on board with me, and how I wished I 
 could have sent them straight to you ! After 
 breakfast I went ashore again with the captain, 
 and he took me to the top of a low hill, whence 
 we got a magnificent view of the bay and the 
 country round about ; then he introduced me 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 51 
 
 to two fruits that I had never seen before, the 
 custard-apple and the egg-fruit. The custard- 
 apple looks a good deal like a globe artichoke, 
 and the inside resembles a sort of thick white 
 custard, very sweet ; but as it was not yet quite 
 ripe, I did not see it to advantage. The egg- 
 fruit is exactly like a grey egg : it has even got 
 a shell, which breaks easily when it is fully 
 ripe ; but, as we could find none ready for 
 eating, I had to be content with a very cursory 
 acquaintance. Perhaps I shall be able to report 
 upon both to you ere long. 
 
 We went afterwards to see the ' Royal Palace,' 
 a very nice two-story house, built expressly for 
 ' Prince Wellington,' a grandson of King George 
 and a very promising young man, who was 
 governor of Vavau. Unfortunately he died at 
 the age of twenty-eight, and a monument to his 
 memory, brought all the way from Italy, now 
 stands close to the Palace at Tonga. I believe 
 he was much regretted, and that his death was a 
 real loss for his people. 
 
 It was nearly seven p.m. before we bade 
 adieu to the Friendly Islands ; a lot of native 
 passengers, bound for Samoa, came on board, 
 and so many of their friends came to see them 
 off, that the chattering and nose-rubbing were 
 quite amusing. Even after we were under 
 weigh they were stretching out from the wharf 
 for a last embrace or handshake, and I fully 
 expected that some of them would tumble into 
 
52 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 the water; however, nothing of the sort happened, 
 though I believe it does occur pretty often. 
 Once we were fairly off, the burning of hundreds 
 of red and blue and green matches began again 
 on the wharf, and was replied to from our 
 vessel, and really the sight was exceedingly 
 pretty. 
 
 At last I begin to feel myself fairly in the 
 tropics. When I left Auckland, ten days ago, I 
 was wearing winter clothes and found them 
 none too warm ; I began to ' shed ' them gradu- 
 ally, but only since we got to Tonga has the 
 heat been really tropical. Last night I could 
 not sleep in my cabin, and took refuge on a 
 sofa in the upper saloon or ' Social Hall,' as it is 
 called, so it is all the more welcome to remem- 
 ber that to-morrow morning I hope to get home 
 at last ! 
 
 Vailima, Sunday, May 16. 
 
 YES, home at last ! ! Yesterday at 7 a.m. 
 the Wainui cast anchor in the roadstead 
 of Apia ; it was a lovely morning, but very hot, 
 decidedly hotter than I had felt it at any of 
 the other islands we touched at. My first 
 
 welcome was from Mr. M , who sent his 
 
 man off at once to see if I wished to come on 
 shore, and to take charge of my luggage ; but as I 
 was not quite ready, I told him that I would take 
 breakfast on board, and he might come back for 
 me about nine o'clock. Next came ' Henry,' of 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 53 
 
 whom I told you before, who acts as a sort of 
 overseer to the black boys ; although he is here all 
 day, he sleeps in Apia, and was full of apologies 
 for no one being down to meet me. It seems 
 that the Wainui had been expected on Friday 
 afternoon, and Lou and Lloyd had come down 
 to Apia ; but when she did not put in an appear- 
 ance then, it was thought she would not arrive 
 till about the same time next day. However, 
 we got in early, as I have said, and as we came 
 in by the other side of the island to the Liibeck, 
 we were not visible from Vailima. Henry added 
 that his horse was in town, and my saddle had 
 been there ever since I left, so I could ride up 
 as soon as I liked. The next person who turned 
 up was the man who has been carting the furni- 
 ture, and was ready to take up my baggage ; he 
 told me that all were well at Vailima, and that 
 they were living in the new house, and that my 
 room was ready for me, ' all but the glass door 
 of the wardrobe,' which sounded very home- 
 like and comfortable. 
 
 About nine o'clock I started off, attended by 
 Henry ; the horse walked quietly all the way 
 and I arrived safely, and felt very very glad and 
 thankful to be with my beloved children at last. 
 Louis had been for a trip round the island, 
 which had been rather too much for him ; he 
 had an attack of fever after he got back, but 
 he seems pretty well again now. He stands a 
 short expedition very well, but if he is away 
 
54 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 for more than a week he gets knocked up, 
 which is a thing to remember and provide 
 against. . . . The house really looks very nice 
 indeed. The outside is painted a sort of pea- 
 cock blue, and the roof and verandahs a red, 
 that goes very well with it ; the dining-room 
 is very pretty and comfortable, the walls hung 
 with tapa, the native cloth, which gives an 
 effect of tapestry. There are large sliding- 
 doors, more than half glass, opening on to the 
 verandah, which looks out over the harbour ; a 
 smaller glass door opens to the back, and a 
 large double window to the west. The kitchen 
 proper is quite a separate erection at the back, 
 which will eventually be connected with the house 
 by a covered way ; but opening from the back 
 verandah is a capital pantry and store-closet, 
 with an American stove in it that can be used 
 for emergencies or special occasions. I think 
 my room is delightful, although in time I am to 
 have even better quarters ; it is at present a 
 sitting- and bed-room in one, but the two 
 portions are to be divided by Japanese bead 
 screens, coming from Sydney. I have both 
 sliding-doors and a double window giving on to 
 the verandah that looks towards the sea ; and 
 at the ' sitting-room ' end the walls are hung with 
 the flags we used on board the Casco, the ' red 
 ensign ' on the one side, the ' stars and stripes ' 
 on the other, and Kalakaua's royal standard in 
 the middle, Above the standard there is a fine 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 55 
 
 piece of tapa from Savage Island, painted with 
 an elaborate pattern and in the centre the word 
 soifau, which means welcome. The floor is 
 covered with beautiful white Samoan mats, very 
 soft and thick to the tread ; the walls and roof 
 are painted pale green, and over my table is 
 hung a lovely branching tree of pink and white 
 coral. What with my books (when I get them out), 
 and the photographs of all your dear faces about 
 me, my room will be at once filled with many 
 memories and associations. . . . The rest of the 
 upper floor is divided into Louis's library and 
 their bedroom. The library is shelved all round 
 and painted green, like my room, but everything 
 in it is as yet in a state of chaos. 
 
 The piano is to take up its abode there for the 
 present, until we see our way to building the 
 rest of the house with a large hall, or lanai, 
 downstairs, and a couple of rooms for me above. 
 My present apartment will then serve for Lloyd, 
 who now occupies that quaint erection known as 
 the ' bandstand,' though since it has been painted 
 it looks more like a small creeper-clad Swiss 
 chalet. And finally, the little house in which 
 Louis and Fanny lodged till the new one was 
 habitable has been taken down, and is now 
 being reconstructed in a new and better site for 
 Belle and her boy, who are expected to arrive 
 from Sydney this day week. I think I have 
 given you as good an idea of my surroundings 
 as I can manage ' right off the reel,' though I 
 
56 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 dare say that gradually I shall find plenty to tell 
 you that I have forgotten just now ; and besides, 
 there is so much that I have not properly seen 
 or appreciated yet in the few days I have been 
 here. But I think we shall be very comfortable ; 
 we hope soon to get a new cook (the present 
 one has come into ' a fortune ' and is going home 
 to Germany), and with the English maid who 
 comes with Belle, and the native servants, things 
 ought to run very smoothly. 
 
 I wish you could pay me a visit this morning, 
 for everything looks very lovely. The ther- 
 mometer stands usually at from 8o° to 84 in 
 my room, and I keep the doors and the east 
 windows open day and night ; indeed, it seems 
 to me to be hotter here than it was at Tautira, 
 close to the sea, but Louis will not acknowledge 
 
 this ; and as old used to say, ' I may be 
 
 wrang, but lord ! it 's no aften ! ' This morning I 
 was glad to change my European clothes for a 
 holaku, and I only wish my ideas of propriety 
 would permit me to copy the natives a little 
 more. . . . But I must try and give you some 
 idea of what, if you were beside me, you would 
 see. I am writing in my room, with both doors 
 and three windows wide open. This house 
 stands on a sort of plateau, which has been 
 cleared of all save a few very fine tall trees, 
 through which we look out to the north over the 
 blue Pacific Ocean. From the east window I 
 can see the little house for Belle, that has been 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 57 
 
 christened ' Pineapple Cottage ' because it stands 
 in the midst of a plantation of that fruit, which 
 grows wild here, in the woods. The carpenters 
 are still at work on it, and the tapping of their 
 hammers and the pleasant hum of their voices 
 sound cheerful and homely. Beyond the cottage 
 there is a lime and citron hedge, and behind that 
 again the thick tropical bush, so restfully dark 
 and leafy in this blaze of sunshine ; and if you 
 were to step on to the verandah and look to the 
 west, you would see the high mountain under 
 whose shelter we nestle, wooded to the very 
 top, a mass of living green, magnificently ver- 
 dant. To the south of the house only forest, 
 undulating unending forest, is to be seen. The 
 belt that lies nearest to us is at present being 
 cleared by twenty-five Roman Catholic natives, 
 called here ' popies ' (!) ; they root out all the 
 small trees and the undergrowth, and we hope 
 that when they have got on a little further, we 
 may be able to reach the lovely upper waterfall, 
 at present so difficult of access that I cannot 
 attempt to visit it. But there is beauty enough 
 about us, as it is, to content me largely, as I 
 am sure you would agree ; though if you were 
 really here and shared our eleven o'clock 
 luncheon, some of its accompaniments might 
 amuse you. For instance, as the flies are trouble- 
 some, one of the ' boys,' a fine-looking Tongan, 
 comes in at all our meals armed with a long 
 bunch of reeds to brush them away ; he is nicely 
 
58 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 tattooed, and wears a pariu (called here, by the 
 way, a lava-lava), made out of an old red cotton 
 tablecloth that Fanny had thrown away. The 
 effect is most becoming on his brown skin, and 
 he adds a world of barbaric picturesqueness to 
 the repast. . . . 
 
 Vailitna, Apia, May 26. 
 
 THE Liibeck arrived on Sunday and brought 
 the last instalment of the 'family' from 
 Sydney. Lloyd and I went down to meet 
 them, and I only wish you could have seen the 
 cavalcade starting on its return to Vailima : 
 Belle, who is very nervous with horses, was 
 mounted on Fanny's steed, which has been 
 christened The Widow, from the ultra-propriety of 
 its behaviour ; I had the loan of a mount from 
 
 Mrs. C (the wife of one of the missionaries) ; 
 
 Lloyd rode his own Macfarlane ; Mary, the 
 English maid, had a hired horse, and little 
 Austin rode behind Lloyd. The cockatoo — did 
 I ever tell you of this clever bird of theirs ? — was 
 perched on Belle's shoulder, and all the small 
 luggage followed in a light cart. We looked 
 most lordly — as to numbers, at any rate. I 
 won't say too much as to the equestrian abilities 
 of some of us ! 
 
 At present the additions to the family are 
 scattered about the house, wherever a shake- 
 down or a couch can be contrived for them, as 
 Pineapple Cottage, though just roofed in, is still 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 59 
 
 far from habitable. We hope that by dint of a 
 good deal of urging the carpenters may get at 
 least the upper story ready by Thursday or 
 Friday ; and in the meantime Belle declares she 
 does not mind any inconvenience, and would 
 rather hang herself up on a nail behind a door 
 in Vailima than have waited any longer at 
 Sydney. 
 
 May 27. 
 
 I WISH you could share some of the pleasant 
 hours we spend grouped on the verandah, 
 whither we always betake ourselves after meals ; 
 lounging on easy-chairs or squatting on mats, ac- 
 cording to taste. The verandah is twelve feet 
 wide, and as it goes round three sides of the 
 house, we can always be sure of shade : I wish I 
 could add of a breeze also, but that is not so easily 
 to be contrived. Still, we get all the air there is. 
 When I am cool enough I knit stockings or else 
 I read, while some of the others work. Just 
 now I am reading The Parent's Assistant for 
 little Austin's benefit, and when I come to the 
 end of a story he reads some of the Child's 
 Garden to me in return. . . . 
 
 No, you are not to imagine that we are ill 
 because I do not tell you always to the contrary ; 
 it only means that we are all so well that I do 
 not even remember the subject of health. And 
 what a weight off my mind it is to be able to say 
 as much, you can imagine. I really forget some- 
 
60 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 times that Louis has ever been an invalid, he 
 looks so fit and works so hard ; and as to Fanny, 
 it is simply amazing what she gets through. 
 To-day, for instance, she has been planting 
 orange-trees that came by the Liibeck. But I 
 really do not think that any of us can be called 
 idle, which is perhaps a considerate way of 
 putting it, as certainly I do least of all ! I think 
 I must tell you how the work is divided amongst 
 the members of the family. Well, one impor- 
 tant job is ' chicken-man ' ; we have a fine 
 enclosed run for the fowls at some distance from 
 the house, but ever since they were removed to 
 it, they appear— so far as results are concerned 
 — to have given up laying. The hens in some 
 mysterious fashion arrive at the ' clocking ' stage 
 without providing us with a single egg ... a 
 state of matters which we hope will be ended by 
 a little supervision. Belle is lamp-cleaner to the 
 establishment; and Lloyd for the present is 
 housekeeper, in addition to his literary work. I 
 say 'for the present,' as when our new and 
 (according to his own account) very superior 
 cook arrives, Lloyd declines to have anything to 
 do with him, and insists on abdicating in favour 
 of Fanny. My share of the household work I 
 find rather hard to define; for one thing, I am 
 the morning chaplain, as Louis can't appear at 
 prayers unless we have them before 6 a.m., to 
 which we all object. On Sundays I have quite 
 a congregation : six of ourselves, John the 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 61 
 
 Hawaiian cook, Mr. K , Emma (the house- 
 
 and washing-maid), and Lafaele. The two last 
 are Samoans, and call prayers ' making a 
 church ' ; and as they think it is no church at all 
 without singing, we ask them to sing a native 
 hymn at the end, which they do very sweetly 
 and melodiously, in parts. . . . Then — to return 
 to my household duties — I wind up all the 
 clocks in the house, and am looked upon as the 
 responsible 'timekeeper' to the establishment, 
 and I think I may claim to be the general 
 purveyor of ' small wares ' to the family at large. 
 Here is a list of articles I was asked for in the 
 course of one day : a piece of sponge, elastic, 
 bromide of ammonia, taraxacum and nitric acid, 
 needles, thread, and thimble, pen and ink, and 
 a pencil. Does it not rather remind you of 
 the mother's wonderful bag in the Swiss Family 
 Robinson ? 
 
 It appears this place is supposed, by the 
 natives, to be greatly haunted by itus, which are 
 ghosts or devils, I am not certain which, and are 
 greatly feared. Several people told Louis that 
 he should not disturb the idea, as it would have 
 an excellent effect in keeping the natives from 
 stealing ; but when Lafaele, sent to work in the 
 garden at some distance from the house, refused 
 to stay there alone because he was 'afraid of the 
 devils,' the plan seemed to have its drawbacks. 
 Fanny, however, took him in hand ; she assured 
 him that her devils were much stronger than the 
 
62 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 ones here, and would take care of him ; and in 
 proof of her power played an old trick upon 
 him with great success. Laying a finger of each 
 hand on his closed eyes, she shifted them deftly 
 so that she touched him with two fingers of one 
 hand only, and at the same instant gave him 
 with the other a smart slap on the arm. It 
 sounds very childish, but really feels strange to 
 the victim, if he is not initiated ; and at any rate 
 it quite convinced Lafaele, who has worked by 
 himself, and even gone out in the dark, with 
 great bravery, ever since ! 
 
 June 6. 
 
 WE all felt rather anxious on Monday, 
 when the news arrived from Apia that 
 Mataafa's followers had carried him off to an- 
 other village to make him King, and that they 
 had also broken open the prison and taken away 
 all the prisoners. Till Wednesday we almost 
 believed that war would be the result, but on 
 that day they all returned and brought back the 
 prisoners, and it is thought that for the present, 
 at any rate, the danger is over. Louis, however, 
 bids me tell you that even if you hear that war 
 has broken out you must not be alarmed ; war 
 is very different here to what we are accustomed 
 to think it, or to what I fear it still is in the re- 
 moter and more savage islands. Here it is more 
 like a sort of ' tournament,' and very few lives 
 are ever lost. If a band of fighting men should 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 63 
 
 come to Vailima, all that they would expect of us 
 would be that we should kill some pigs, and give 
 them a good meal ! 
 
 It is wonderful how things seem to settle into 
 place about us, though the carpenters are still 
 here, and we cannot get fairly into order till they 
 have finished their work. The ' popies ' went off 
 at the end of three days, and had to be wiled 
 back by the promise of a gift ; but it turned out 
 that they had engaged to do the work at much 
 under the usual rates (I don't know why), so 
 when pay-day came round Louis gave them 
 twice as much as had been arranged, to their 
 great satisfaction and delight. It was quite a 
 nice little scene when they came up to the ver- 
 andah, where Louis awaited them with ' Henry ' 
 as interpreter ; there was a great deal of speechi- 
 fying, and they looked very well, clothed, if one 
 can use the word, with good taste and simplicity, 
 generally in a wreath of drooping green leaves 
 round the loins and another of smaller ones 
 upon the head. You have no idea how cool and 
 pretty it looks on the brown skin, and of course 
 it is always fresh and clean, which, w.hen they are 
 at work, the lava-lavas cannot be. 
 
 But this was quite a break in our quiet life. 
 I have only once been to Apia since I arrived, 
 and can't say I feel any desire to go again in the 
 meantime ; I am quite satisfied to lounge in the 
 verandah, and gradually to absorb all the beauty 
 about me. I am afraid you will get local inform- 
 
64 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 ation and descriptions in very irregular instal- 
 ments ; they will only reach you as the facts 
 dawn upon my perceptions here. Just now, for 
 instance, I am reminded by a waft of scent that 
 Fanny is making perfume to-day ; the flower, 
 which I have never seen before, is called by the 
 natives mussa-oi, and is deliciously fragrant. I 
 shall enclose a blossom in this, and you must tell 
 me whether, at the end of the thousands of miles 
 that lie between us, it has still preserved any of 
 its scent. . . . Also, I am reminded by many 
 little distant warbles that the woods here are 
 full of birds ; they do not exactly sing, but make 
 a very pleasant little sound, a sort of soft melli- 
 fluous chattering, which is especially loud and 
 clear in the early morning. At night it is the 
 frogs that keep us lively. . . . 
 
 Louis is at work on The Wreckers, and I ex- 
 pect it will begin to appear in the August number 
 of Scribner's ; from what I have heard of it — he 
 read us a particularly good chapter after lunch 
 to-day — I think it is certain to be well received. 
 It should be a very exciting story, and it seems 
 to me that the characters are even unpleasantly 
 lifelike! 
 
 June 10. 
 
 WE are really getting extraordinarily civi- 
 lised these last few days. First the 
 china arrived, and though, alas ! a good deal has 
 been broken, still it cheered our hearts to see the 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 65 
 
 ' home-things ' about us once more ; then the 
 new cook came and promises great things ; but 
 I think the culminating point of our elegance is 
 that we have actually had people to afternoon 
 
 tea! On Thursday Mr. C , the missionary, 
 
 called with his wife, and it was delightful to be 
 able to entertain them in the orthodox way; they 
 are both very nice, and I hope to be able to see 
 more of them by and by, though, as the English 
 service is in the evening, I can only go to church 
 when it is moonlight. It seems, however, that 
 the ' May- meetings,' when the natives bring in 
 their contributions to the Mission, don't take 
 place here till September, so I hope I may be 
 able to attend them and send you an account, 
 which should be interesting. . . . And we have 
 had other callers too, quite a number of them ; in 
 fact, I am sure you would be surprised to find 
 how many_visitors we have already in this out- 
 of-the-way spot. I think we know who is the 
 attraction ; but we try to believe that we are ail 
 equally charming ! 
 
 Vailima,July I, 1891. 
 
 THE worst of living at the other side of the 
 world, with only a monthly mail between 
 oneself and ' home,' is that the labour of prepar- 
 ing for that same mail is so great that it leaves 
 us sick of the very sight of a pen for days after 
 it has gone. I am only now beginning to feel 
 fit for my journal -letter again; and Louis was 
 
66 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 quite knocked up with overwork and had to keep 
 to his room for two days' rest. No sooner did 
 he reappear than he unfortunately got a sore 
 throat ; see how I am punished for boasting of 
 his good health in my last letter ! We had to 
 
 send to Apia for Dr. F ; but by this time 
 
 he is much better, though he still keeps to his 
 room, and looks very thin and white. 
 
 We have had quite a busy ten days since I last 
 wrote, though you must not imagine that any- 
 thing very striking has happened. But we have 
 now got all the furniture brought up, even the 
 piano, which was the crowning achievement ; 
 and when you remember — or try to imagine — 
 what the bridle-path through the forest from 
 Apia is, you will agree with me it is something 
 to boast of. It was carried all the way by eleven 
 natives, who slung it in ropes supported by poles 
 borne upon their shoulders ; it took them eight 
 hours, starting at 6 a.m. and arriving here just at 
 2 p.m. Then came the anxious moment of un- 
 packing, but it proved to be not merely safe and 
 unhurt, but actually in tune, which, considering 
 the distance it has travelled, the time on the way, 
 and the changes of climate, is truly amazing. 
 There was but one more ' hill difficulty ' to be 
 surmounted, and that was the task of getting it 
 up the rather narrow verandah stair to Louis's 
 room ; but that was happily achieved, and we 
 now feel that we can really settle down, indoors 
 at any rate, since our goods and chattels are all 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 67 
 
 here. Outside there is, of course, an immense 
 deal still to do. We have had all the men hard 
 at work clearing close about the house for some 
 days ; Lloyd had had a little fever, Henry and 
 Emma had both been ill, and the doctor warned 
 us that we should all suffer if the cut-down trees 
 were allowed to lie near the house. So all hands 
 were turned on to saw the trees into lengths and 
 to cart them away to the woodhouse to be stored 
 for fuel, and the women were set to pull up the 
 weeds and pile them up for bonfires, as well as to 
 light fires about the stumps and roots that had 
 been left in the ground. At night the many 
 fires looked very strange and picturesque. The 
 mahogany trees were, however, not treated in so 
 summary a fashion ; they are sawn into conveni- 
 ent lengths and taken to Apia to be made into 
 chairs and tables. It is a very beautiful variety, 
 deeply red in colour and well grown. With all 
 this, the front of the house begins to look quite 
 nice, and I can scarcely realise how much the 
 place is already changed since I first saw it three 
 months ago. 
 
 On Sunday I rode down to Apia, in order to 
 go to church ; I went by myself and got on 
 famously, of which I feel — as perhaps you may 
 gather — not a little proud. I stayed for the 
 
 night with Mrs. C , the wife of one of the 
 
 missionaries ; the two houses of the Mission 
 stand quite near each other in the same com- 
 pound, with plenty of fine trees and flowers 
 
68 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 round them, and a near view of the sea that I 
 cannot help envying, though I know it is more 
 airy up here, and must be healthier. I did not 
 see anything of Apia, however, as I came home 
 again early on Monday and found coffee-planting 
 busily going on ; the next thing will be cacao, as 
 a gentleman from one of the German plantations 
 says the ground by the burnside is exactly suited 
 to it, and Fanny hopes to make it succeed. 
 
 We have had a really wonderful transform- 
 ation scene about us lately ; the tall mahogany 
 trees have changed their leaves. They first 
 became a lovely autumnal orange tint, very rich 
 and glowing, and we could see them here and 
 there all the way down to Apia marking the 
 course of the burn ; this lasted for a week or two, 
 and then suddenly, as if by the waving of a 
 magician's wand, they were all clothed in com- 
 plete suits of the tenderest spring green. The 
 new leaves seem to push off the old ones just 
 when they are ready to unfold, and the tree 
 turns in a few hours from gold to green. It is 
 so sudden as to be almost bewildering, and very 
 beautiful also. But I think all nature is beauti- 
 ful here. Last Saturday I went for a walk in the 
 bush with Lloyd and Belle ; a road has been 
 made for more than a mile up a gentle slope, 
 and it was dry and fairly clean underfoot, with 
 delicious lights and shadows playing through the 
 trees. Lloyd and Belle were both armed with 
 long knives to cut down saplings and shrubs, and 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 69 / 
 
 I pulled up wild bananas and other weeds ; for 
 the worst thing about this place is, that unless 
 constantly cleared every road and path gets over- 
 grown. However, a very little work would make 
 that particular path a very good one for riding, 
 and Fanny says that if buffalo grass is planted it 
 keeps other things from coming up. I confess 
 that I found the weeding as entrancing as Louis 
 does, and could scarcely persuade myself to give 
 it up and return home. 
 
 There was again a great talk of war among 
 the natives last week, though nothing came of it ; 
 but ever since the last outbreak they seem to 
 live in a state of constant excitement. I am told 
 it has had a very bad effect upon them in another 
 way ; while war was going on they got into the 
 habit of stealing, and when it ceased they did not 
 give the practice up. The Germans seem to be 
 the principal sufferers, and I expect that the 
 natives, like Andrew Fairservice, think there 
 cannot be much harm in 'spoiling the Egyptians.' 
 It is a pity, nevertheless, and may have lasting 
 bad effects both on themselves and on their 
 reputation. I have already heard a lack of 
 honesty imputed to them in general, which I 
 believe they really do not deserve. 
 
 July 12. 
 
 AUSTIN got some scratches on his feet, 
 il which began to inflame, a very common 
 trouble here ; so he has had to spend two days 
 
70 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 with his feet in Condy's fluid, and to-day is pro- 
 nounced nearly well — a good thing, as we had to 
 fill up his enforced idleness with an amount of 
 reading which threatened to exhaust our suitable 
 literature. Lafaele has also had a bad toe for 
 
 some time past, and when Dr. F was here 
 
 he took out the nail, and bade him keep quiet 
 for a day or two till it healed. This, however, 
 we could not induce Lafaele to do ; so yesterday 
 he announced that there was a devil in his toe, 
 and he must have a Samoan medicine-man up 
 from Apia to drive it out. In the afternoon the 
 medicine-man duly arrived, and Fanny inter- 
 viewed him. He said it was quite true that 
 there was a devil in the toe, and the great thing 
 was to get him out the same way he went in, for 
 if he went up the leg he would certainly kill the 
 man. Fanny reminded Lafaele that she had 
 kept him safe from all devils since he had been 
 living with us, but the medicine-man got out of 
 that difficulty very cleverly, declaring that the 
 devil had gone in a year ago, before Lafaele had 
 come to us, and had been lying dormant ever 
 since ! This was, of course, unanswerable. 
 Fanny hoped to see something wonderful in the 
 way of incantations, but to her disappointment 
 he did nothing but put on a sort of dressing of 
 leaves soaked in coconut oil ; however, his 
 ' medicine ' must have had something in it, as 
 this morning Lafaele announced with triumph 
 that his foot was ' more better, and he sleep all 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 71 
 
 night.' ... I hope Lafaele will not take to the 
 native habit of getting ' tired ' of service, as we 
 should miss him dreadfully ; our two women, 
 Emma and Java, have already wearied of being 
 so far in the bush, and we have now the wife 
 and daughter of a native minister to do the 
 washing, etc. As washerwomen, I regret to say 
 they are rather indifferent, but they are nice 
 women, and sing so sweetly at prayers that we 
 quite enjoy it. 
 
 A Mr. G from Apia has taken a place not 
 
 far from us, and just on the road into the town. 
 He is a pleasant young man with a very nice 
 native wife, and we shall quite enjoy having 
 them within easy reach of us on foot. We hope 
 also that in time they may help us in the matter 
 of getting the forest-road improved. 
 
 On Tuesday I made quite a little outing all 
 by myself. I rode down to Apia, and left my 
 horse at the Mission ; then I was rowed across 
 part of the bay to the English consul's (where, 
 by the bye, I had to be carried ashore ; but my 
 ' boy ' did it most handily, and seemed to think 
 nothing of my weight). After that I was rowed 
 back again, and paid several other calls in Apia 
 itself, finally riding home in the moonlight, the 
 first time I had. attempted such a thing quite 
 unattended. The Widow cantered all the way 
 as long as the road was good enough, which is 
 about half the distance ; and I think I never 
 enjoyed anything more than the cool bright 
 
72 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 silence of the bush. We are having lovely 
 weather just now, with deliciously fresh breezes 
 that thoroughly temper this heat — indeed, 
 
 Mr. K has asked leave for a week to get 
 
 change of air, because the cold climate does not 
 agree with him ! I look at the thermometer in 
 my room every morning about 6.30, and it varies 
 from 63° to 75° ; whenever it goes below 70 it 
 feels quite chilly, but it has only once been as 
 low as 63°. Still it is surely an ideal ' winter ' 
 temperature ! 
 
 Vailima, July 24, 1891. 
 
 1AST Sunday I had another quiet ride home 
 _^ from Apia through the moonlit forest ; it 
 was very beautiful, almost as light as day, though 
 in the worse half of the road the dense shadows 
 of the trees were rather confusing. I wish I 
 could see any likelihood of the path being soon 
 improved. On Monday Louis went down to 
 Apia to try and get Vailima included in the 
 municipal district, which he had been advised 
 would give him a better chance of getting a 
 proper road made. He started in the forenoon, 
 paid several calls, dined with the Land Com- 
 missioners, and did not get home till 10 p.m. 
 Then on Wednesday he went down again to 
 attend a meeting of Council, and present his 
 petition ; but I am afraid nothing will come of 
 it in the meantime, at any rate, as it appears 
 they have no power under the treaty to take us 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 73 
 
 in. They have promised, however, to apply for 
 increased powers, and hope to get them . . . 
 some day, I suppose. 
 
 Yesterday we had a young naturalist to lunch; 
 he wanted to shoot some ' pigeons ' in the bush, 
 but was unsuccessful, and only got a small green 
 bird, which we were sorry he had shot. There 
 are plenty of so-called pigeons about us, that fill 
 the woods with very homelike cooings, though 
 I am not sure what their real species is ; they 
 are very pretty birds, with beautiful plumage. 
 And there is another that reminds me of a 
 thrush, though it is much smaller and differently 
 coloured ; the song is much less articulate, so to 
 say, but nevertheless reminds me strangely and 
 pleasantly of home. They are not very timid if 
 we walk through the bush, but they seldom come 
 much out into the open, about the house. Just 
 now Louis, surrounded by a little group of 
 assistants, is busy weeding the 'lawn,' and tak- 
 ing stones out of it. We have already a beauti- 
 ful green patch before the door about the size of 
 the plot at Colinton Manse. Did I tell you that 
 grass seeds cannot be sown here where they are 
 to stay, but in a seed-bed, and are then taken up 
 and planted out like little lettuces, or anything 
 similar? It is very interesting to watch each 
 little plant throw out long shoots like a creeper, 
 till they meet each other, and finally make a con- 
 tinuous patch of green. It gives me a sense 
 of active, intelligent plant-life that I never felt 
 
74 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 before. We use for this purpose a very fine 
 native grass ; for grazing purposes a coarser 
 kind is better, called buffalo grass, that grows 
 much taller, and is not so suitable for a lawn. 
 
 August 3. 
 
 YESTERDAY morning I rode down early 
 to Apia to the native church to join in 
 the Communion, as there is only an evening 
 service in English, and no arrangements as yet 
 for church membership. I liked the native 
 service very much, and it reminded me of 
 Tautira; 1 I could almost imagine I was back 
 among our good friends there whom we shall 
 never forget. The church is a large one, and it 
 was well filled with nicely dressed natives, some 
 of them sitting on benches, and many on mats. 
 The minister occupied a small raised platform 
 over which a reading-desk did duty as a pulpit ; 
 the Communion-table stood at his right hand, 
 and when we went in was covered all over with 
 a white cloth. All who brought ' lines ' from 
 other churches handed them as they came in to 
 the native minister, who read them aloud, while 
 
 Mr. C , who was to dispense the Communion, 
 
 left his platform, and went to a seat near the 
 door in order to publicly receive the young com- 
 municants into the church. As he gave them 
 the ' right hand of fellowship,' he gave also to 
 each individually a short address. It ended 
 
 1 See From Saranac to the Marquesas, p. 193. 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 75 
 
 something like this : ' Your name is written 
 to-day in the book of the Church on earth ; it is 
 for the Master Himself to inscribe it in the Book 
 of Life above, where I hope it will remain to all 
 eternity/ This was in English, but all the rest 
 of the service was in Samoan. The bread was 
 cut into very small pieces, and handed from one 
 to another on salvers ; the wine was coconut 
 juice. The deacons were dressed in white lava- 
 lavas and white coats or shirts, and Mr. C 
 
 himself was entirely in white : it looked very 
 pure and simple, and I could not but think of 
 the ' white linen clean and white, which is the 
 righteousness of saints.' . . . 
 
 I have been greatly interested in finding a 
 nutmeg-tree growing in our 'avenue.' The nut- 
 megs are ripening just now, and fall off the tree 
 as they become ready ; they are covered with 
 a soft outer husk, which splits open, and shows 
 a beautiful golden-orange lining. This of course 
 is the mace, which clings to the nutmeg in a 
 wrapping of thin fibrous strips ; or rather, not 
 to the nutmeg itself, but to the very hard shell 
 that encloses it, and which, I am told, must be 
 steamed on a stove or exposed to any strong 
 damp heat for a month before the actual nut- 
 meg can be got out of it. It is certainly very 
 well protected. I am drying some mace in the 
 sun, and shall send you a specimen ; and later 
 on I suppose we shall also have some of 'our 
 own ' nutmegs. 
 
76 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 This has been quite a gay week, with many 
 people coming and going to lunch and tea ; one 
 day we had the Land Commissioners, and I 
 
 must tell you an absurd story of Mr. I , the 
 
 American Commissioner, and Louis. Mr. I 
 
 happened to tell us that one of his daughters 
 had been born on Christmas Day, and always 
 complained bitterly that she had never had a 
 birthday present in her life, and for all practical 
 purposes did not possess a birthday at all. 
 Louis promptly declared that he really had no 
 further use for his, which only served nowadays 
 to call attention to his increasing years, so he 
 
 would willingly make it over to Miss I . At 
 
 once a sort of legal document was drawn up, 
 solemnly handing over the 13th November to 
 her 'for her sole use and behoof henceforward 
 as a birthday, and the paper was despatched to 
 Vermont with all due formalities ! . . . I, of 
 course, pointed out to Louis that in future he 
 need not expect anything more in the shape of 
 birthday presents or congratulations. . . . 
 
 Fanny has not been very well lately — I fancy 
 the result of a long course of overwork, as 
 for many months now she has really laboured 
 prodigiously over the place, and I have often 
 predicted a breakdown in the end. So on 
 Thursday afternoon it was suddenly settled that 
 she should go off in the Wainui for a thorough 
 rest and change. It is not settled yet whether 
 she is to stay in Fiji, where she can be perfectly 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 77 
 
 quiet, or go on to Auckland. At first it was 
 proposed that Lloyd should go with her ; but it 
 was decided that he was so much needed here 
 he should stay at home ; and indeed, as the 
 Wainui sailed rather sooner than usual, it took 
 us all our time to get her alone ready for depar- 
 ture by 2.30 p.m. on Friday. 
 
 Since she left, the family has been principally 
 engaged, I think, in cooking. Our German 
 cook, who was sent to Apia on Land Commis- 
 sion business, never returned, and finally sent 
 word that his health would not allow him to do 
 so. .He was not much loss, as he was leaving 
 anyway at the end of the month ; he had not 
 turned out the success we hoped, none of us 
 liked his cooking, and he was so delicate and 
 nervous we did not dare to criticise. Also, he 
 can't stand our cold climate ! It is true the 
 thermometer at half-past six this morning was 
 69 , but at noon it was 90°, and I find it too 
 hot indoors for my taste, and only enjoyable on 
 the breezy verandah. . . . However, as Paul, 
 who is generally available to act as his sub- 
 stitute, is laid up with an attack of pneumonia 
 from sitting in draughts when overheated, it 
 leaves a domestic gap which \the family has to 
 fill. As a useless member, who only eats, I 
 may add that the results are most successful 
 and appetising. Here is a menu that may 
 interest you : onion soup, roast mutton with 
 spices, boiled taro, rice, stewed tomatoes and 
 
78 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 onions, and a salad made of small wild tomatoes 
 and watercress. The wild tomatoes are no 
 larger than cherries, but very well flavoured, 
 and grow in the most obliging and convenient 
 manner in the tangle of weeds about the kitchen- 
 door. We thought our chef very extravagant 
 in the way of vegetables, but all the dishes were 
 excellent and well served. Our native servants, 
 moreover, are highly picturesque, much more 
 so than in other islands that I have visited ; a 
 few wear holakus, but there is a great deal more 
 variety of dress than in either Hawaii or Tahiti, 
 and the people here display more of the figure. 
 Faiiuma (one of our women) often wears a white 
 lava-lava and a muslin scarf put round the neck 
 and crossed over the bosom, which looks very 
 cool and comfortable, though I do not quite see 
 my way to following the fashion in my own case. 
 At other times she wears a red lava-lava, made, 
 I think, out of a discarded curtain, with two 
 red and yellow handkerchiefs knotted on her 
 shoulders, the one hanging down in front, the 
 other behind. Lafaele's costume also varies 
 considerably, but when he appears at meals he 
 always wears a lava-lava of some bright colour. 
 
 Louis has taken a lease of a small ranch near 
 us, called ' Hunter's Rest.' The advantage of 
 it is that we shall thus have plenty of oranges, 
 coconuts, and bananas to supply our needs till 
 our own trees are bearing, and we shall also 
 have ample grazing for our horses and cows. 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 79 
 
 We bought two more cows from the man who 
 was giving up the ranch, and one of them has 
 had a calf, so we have a large supply of milk 
 and cream, and can make our own butter, and 
 as we expect a third calf shortly, the supply 
 will still increase. The only bother has been 
 about the milking, Lafaele being the only person 
 who knows anything about it, and his methods 
 are decidedly peculiar. He brings the calf to 
 its mother and lets it begin to suck, then pulls 
 it away with a rope and milks the cow a little ; 
 then lets it back, and pulls it away again, and 
 so on, with what a waste of time and labour — 
 not to speak of milk — as you can imagine. We 
 have at last succeeded in convincing him that 
 it is not necessary, and the calf is now weaned, 
 but not till it is four months old. I fancy that 
 at home they are taken away at. the very first, 
 or soon after. 
 
 As to our poultry, dire events have been 
 taking place ; out of ninety-five chickens seventy 
 disappeared mysteriously, and it was only by 
 careful watching that the thief was discovered 
 to be a horrid old cannibal-minded drake, who 
 paid on the spot for his malpractices. While I 
 am on the subject of our live stock, I may as 
 well add that we have no less than twelve cats, 
 and this is not at all too many, as bush-rats are 
 very plentiful and venturesome. ' Mother ' leads 
 the clan, and she has two grown-up children 
 called respectively ' Henry ' and ' Maud ' ; there 
 
8o LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 is also a Samoan cat named ' Pouch.' Then 
 Mother has four kittens, of which only one as 
 yet is christened ' Cinderella,' from her pro- 
 nounced love for the fireside, in spite of the 
 climate. Maud has also three kittens, but as 
 they are barely ten days old and have not yet 
 emerged from their basket, they are only pro- 
 spectively useful. You see, taking us all in all, 
 we are decidedly a numerous family ! 
 
 Vailima, August 22, 1891. 
 
 I REALLY don't know what we shall come 
 to, if the ' backwoods ' continue so gay. 
 There has been quite a succession of parties 
 lately, and though I go out to none, yet I can't 
 prevent them coming in to me ! Louis, Lloyd, 
 and Belle all went to a dinner-party at the Chief 
 Justice's last Saturday, and it was a great 
 success. There were several officers from the 
 U.S. man-of-war — fourteen guests in all — but 
 Belle was the only lady, and came home an- 
 nouncing that she had been 'undoubtedly the 
 best-looking and best-dressed woman ' there ! 
 Louis did not seem at all overtired, though 
 he had not been at such a large party for at 
 least twelve years; and fancy him riding home 
 after it, at eleven p.m. ! On Monday he was 
 invited to dine with the Land Commissioners, 
 and I was more than a little uneasy at his 
 going out again so soon ; however, he not only 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 81 
 
 went without ill results, but stayed all night, and 
 lunched next day on the beautiful yacht that is 
 lying just now in Apia harbour. When he 
 came home to us, he announced that we were 
 to expect the German Commissioner, and one 
 or two other gentlemen, to lunch on Wednes- 
 day, while the yacht party was coming to tea 
 on Thursday afternoon. Of course our three 
 new cooks, who have really been excelling 
 themselves lately, determined to accomplish 
 wonders on this occasion ; and the prepara- 
 tions were really very amusing. Belle prepared 
 some clever menus, full of local allusions ; for 
 instance, the soup was commemorative of the 
 fact that the U.S. man-of-war — the Iroquois — 
 had lately been delayed by a breakdown of 
 her engines, and did not arrive till long over- 
 due. The Municipal Council, a very new 
 institution here, gave its name to another dish ; 
 the 'long-handled' potatoes were a hit at the 
 German firm, so called from the enormous 
 length of its name ; and ' the pie — or its equi- 
 valent' was a hit at the discussions that have 
 been going on over the currency, the Germans 
 wishing to introduce the German mark, and 
 all the others determined to keep it out. Each 
 guest carried off his own menu, and they really 
 gave rise to a great deal of amusement. Other- 
 wise, also, in spite of the conventions, the 
 luncheon was quite a success. Our three cooks 
 wore very becoming paper caps, and made no 
 
82 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 secret of their responsibilities ; indeed, Lloyd 
 only appeared with the roast, as he stayed in 
 the kitchen till then to see that everything was 
 right. We have a new boy, Talolo, and he 
 and Lafaele were in attendance, and looked 
 very neat in their white shirts, bright lava-lavas, 
 and wreaths of flowers on their hair ; and to 
 compensate for the lack of a withdrawing-room, 
 we screened off the end of the verandah out- 
 side of my room with tapa, and made quite 
 a nice little 'cosy-corner,' sheltered both from 
 sun and wind. Here we put chairs, couches 
 and a table, and here the hors-dceuvres before 
 lunch, and the coffee after, were served. 
 
 On the next day, the ' yacht party ' turned out 
 to be a bigger ' tea-fight ' than we expected, as 
 
 Mr. and Miss G arrived early, bringing with 
 
 them Seomano, an important chief, and Faitalia, 
 his wife, who is said to be the most highly born 
 woman in Samoa, and very clever to boot. They 
 have no children of their own, but have adopted 
 
 many, of whom the present Mrs. G is one. 
 
 We were all having tea on the balcony when 
 
 the yacht party arrived, Mrs. L driven 
 
 by our friend Mr. H in a small carriage, 
 
 and her husband riding. As this was the first 
 time that a carriage of any kind had driven up 
 to our 'front door,' we felt it to be quite an 
 event in our existence here. In spite of some 
 heterogeneous elements all went off very well 
 indeed, and our Samoan guests were voted 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 83 
 
 by every one to be delightfully simple and 
 dignified. . 
 
 While Fanny is away, we are having her 
 vegetable-garden much enlarged, and every- 
 thing looks thriving. The asparagus grows 
 particularly well, though it will be some time 
 before it is old enough to be of use; but we 
 have plenty of onions and egg-plants and 
 tomatoes, and both red and green peppers, 
 and a kind of bean that I have not seen before. 
 The barbedines x are nearly ripe, and are delicious 
 both in tarts and eaten with sugar and claret ; 
 and there are oranges and limes in all stages, 
 some of the latter newly in blossom, so that I 
 fancy there will not be any period of the year 
 when we shall be wholly without them. This 
 is a great boon, as fruit is almost indispensable 
 in this climate. As yet we have not very many 
 flowers ; in fact we have not done more than 
 plant a few slips from time to time ; but there 
 are pink and crimson monthly roses, quantities 
 of the beautiful crimson hibiscus, a sort of three- 
 ply white convolvulus, tuberoses, and a bright 
 scarlet flower like a salvia. There are one or 
 two other blooming plants of which I don't 
 know the names, but these are the most plentiful 
 and striking. As we have also a great many 
 beautifully variegated leaves, and any number 
 of ferns, there is never any lack for table decora- 
 tion ; and I have no doubt that Fanny will 
 
 1 A variety of Passiflora. 
 
84 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 come home laden with plants and seeds. Louis 
 and I are terribly lacking in knowledge of 
 these matters, but we vie with each other in 
 appreciativeness. . . . 
 
 To give you my monthly rSsumd of the live 
 stock, I am glad to tell you the chickens are 
 thriving, and there have been no more mysteri- 
 ous disappearances since the cannibal drake 
 was disposed of. Our ' cooks ' have now taken 
 the milk -supply into their charge, with very 
 good results ; we are revelling in unlimited 
 milk and cream, and Lou professes to be anxious 
 about his increasing bulk. One change — I think 
 an improvement — I can take to my own credit ; 
 there was a small room off the kitchen where 
 the cook used to sleep, a plan I never liked, and 
 I took the opportunity of suggesting that this 
 room, now empty, would make an excellent 
 milk-house. Lloyd jumped at the idea, and 
 immediately set to work to put up shelves, 
 knock out windows, and otherwise convert it 
 to its new purpose ; and now we are quite 
 proud of our dairy, with its neatly labelled pans, 
 and take all our visitors to see it. 
 
 Now that the building and carting are pretty 
 well at an end, we are gradually getting quit 
 of our European servants, as they teach the 
 natives bad habits, and somehow or another 
 there is always friction. The carter, for instance, 
 
 has gone to Honolulu, and Mr. K has 
 
 married a half-caste and settled in Savaii. 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 85 
 
 Paul is better from his attack of pneumonia, 
 and has got an appointment as overseer on 
 the German plantation, so he too leaves at the 
 end of the month. That leaves us only Mary, 
 our maid, of all the white servants ; but as she 
 lives indoors and does not come in contact with 
 the natives, we hope to keep her. 
 
 Vailima, September 20, 189 1. 
 
 JUST after I despatched my last letter, Fanny 
 arrived unexpectedly on the Liibeck, looking 
 very well and thoroughly set up by the 
 change of air. Unfortunately she found Louis 
 with a cold, and the excitement of her unex- 
 pected arrival, I think, made him worse. How- 
 ever, he is already much better, and talks of 
 leaving his room to-day or to-morrow. Fanny 
 got here by the merest chance, it appears ; the 
 Liibeck happened to be two days late, so when 
 she reached Tonga, where she expected to have 
 to wait at least a fortnight, she found the Liibeck 
 just weighing anchor, and was transhipped with 
 all her possessions at a moment's notice. We 
 are all very glad to get her back, but we did 
 not welcome the Indian cook she brought with 
 her; indeed, there was quite an outcry, as we 
 are more than content with our three present 
 chefs, and Talolo, the new boy, is also very 
 teachable. It has been arranged, however, that 
 
 'Abdul' is to be handed on to Mr. H , 
 
 whose cook leaves him at the end of the month ; 
 
86 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 and in the meantime he works for us. We will 
 not allow that he cooks as well as ' the family,' 
 but he certainly gives us most delightful curries. 
 
 We now find that we have so many visitors 
 that we seriously think of fixing on a weekly 
 day 'at home.' Lloyd has to do a good deal 
 of the entertaining, and it takes up much of his 
 time ; and pleasant as it is to see our friends, 
 there is work — and plenty of it — that must be 
 done. At the same time we honestly enjoy the 
 coming and going, and it is delightful to feel 
 they care to come so far to see us. 
 
 Fanny, as I prophesied, came back from Fiji 
 laden with plants and seeds, and is busy getting 
 them all into the ground. She brought an india- 
 rubber-tree and a custard-apple, and roots of 
 jasmine, gardenia, frangipani, and night-bloom- 
 ing Cereus ; there are many more that I cannot 
 just now remember. During her absence a great 
 deal of clearing has been done, and things look 
 wonderfully tidy ; new walks have been made in 
 several directions, and all of them have been 
 appropriately christened. A very pretty arch- 
 way through the lemon hedge in Fanny's garden 
 is called Aunties Arch, so you see you are not 
 forgotten. . . . 
 
 Yesterday Belle and I had quite a small 
 
 adventure. Miss G had told us that there 
 
 was a very fine waterfall on the Vaisigano river, 
 and had suggested that we should go with her 
 to see it ; so yesterday we started with this 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 87 
 
 intention, but found that both Mrs. G and 
 
 Miss G had gone back to Apia. We did 
 
 not wish to be done out of our excursion, how- 
 ever, so we set off to find our way through the 
 woods by ourselves; there seemed to be an 
 excellent path which we had only to follow. 
 The wood was so dark and lonely and the way 
 so long that presently we began to fear we had 
 mistaken the road ; till quite suddenly we came 
 out into a lovely sunny valley, with a rapid 
 ' Highland ' river rushing amidst rocks and 
 taking two fine leaps over them. One of these 
 was wide and low, but the other very high and 
 narrow, and it fell into a dark pool far below. 
 The trees on our side looked homelike, and 
 for a moment my heart leaped with the memory 
 of many dear and lovely Scottish glens ; but 
 opposite to us rose a bank covered with superb 
 tree ferns, which on cooler inspection rather 
 spoiled the illusion. I was very much struck 
 with the loneliness of the place, and the beauti- 
 ful quiet sunshine that filled it. On our way 
 homewards we took a wrong turning, and for 
 a time really feared that we were 'lost in the 
 bush,' which was not a pleasant sensation. We 
 had told no one where we were going, so they 
 could have no idea where to look for us ; and 
 we did not at all fancy the thought of spending 
 a night in the forest. Fortunately, by going 
 back a good bit, we got into the right track 
 again, and got home safely just before dark, 
 
88 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 pretty well tired out with two and a half hours' 
 steady walking in the tropics — not a bad 
 achievement, I consider. 
 
 October 3. 
 
 1AST Sunday being ' moonless,' I arranged 
 _^ to stay all night with Mrs. C at the 
 
 Mission, and started about 5 p.m. so as to get to 
 Apia before dark. When I reached the foot of 
 the avenue I found a fallen tree projecting across 
 the road, which The Widow, for all her amiability, 
 absolutely declined to pass ; she stood stock-still, 
 and whenever I urged her on she turned aside 
 and bolted into the bush, a most uncomfortable 
 proceeding for me. After three trials I gave it 
 up, and meekly came back home ; but Louis at 
 once had his horse Jack saddled, and he and 
 Fanny set off to teach The Widow that she was 
 not to get her own way so easily. Ultimately, 
 but only with a good deal of trouble and a 
 diligent use of the whip, she was made to pass 
 the obstacle. I was sorry not to get down, 
 but it could not be helped. Mr. C 's com- 
 panion, the younger missionary in Apia, has 
 lately been appointed native advocate before the 
 Land Commissioners, to uphold the interests 
 of the Samoans in any disputes, as he is so 
 thoroughly familiar with the language, and with 
 
 all their affairs, while Mr. H , from Savaii, 
 
 has been appointed to take his place in the 
 meantime in the Mission work. This is quite 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 89 
 
 necessary, as it is a very busy season of the year 
 at present, and the other missionary could not 
 manage single-handed. Wednesday, indeed, 
 was a very important day here : it was the Apia 
 ' May-meeting,' when the inhabitants of eighteen 
 neighbouring villages all come together to pay 
 in their subscriptions to the Mission funds. 
 Belle and I went down and found it a most 
 interesting affair ; the people of each village 
 walked in procession, two by two, the men by 
 themselves and the women by themselves, 
 dressed in their best and brightest garments. 
 The women were always headed by the taiipo, 
 or maid of the village, a sort of virgin queen who 
 is chosen by vote, and is waited on with real 
 reverence by a bodyguard of girls. She keeps 
 her position till she marries, when another is 
 elected to fill her place ; but only girls of good 
 character and beauty — to the native eye — are 
 eligible, and I believe they have, ex officio, a 
 curious position of sanctity, as if in a way they 
 represented the chastity of all their village. . . . 
 The wives of the 'Members of Parliament' (more 
 properly a council) were all dressed alike in 
 crimson, with green wreaths on their hair tied 
 with crimson ribbons ; the women of one village 
 wore tapa, which stuck out round them like 
 crinolines, and had trimmed garlands of leaves 
 round their heads and waists. Another set wore 
 bright orange lava-lavas, and loose bodices to 
 match, with wreaths of white flowers ; and still 
 
90 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 another had very noticeable garlands that 
 entirely covered their hair, made apparently of 
 bright yellow crinkled tissue-paper, which had 
 a very gay effect. Amongst the men, the most 
 striking dresses were worn by the ' Members of 
 Parliament,' who are all chiefs ; their double 
 skirts of tapa stuck out very quaintly and be- 
 comingly, and their waists and breasts were 
 garlanded with green. They were exceedingly 
 tall, fine handsome fellows, who walked with an 
 air as if the whole world belonged to them. The 
 rest of the men, including the students from 
 Malua, and the boys attending the Mission 
 schools, wore the white lava-lava and jacket, 
 which always looks so suitable and clean and 
 cool. 
 
 We were convened in a large field, under 
 trees, the shade of which was eked out by 
 awnings of various kinds, boat-sails, mats, tapa, 
 and coconut leaves sewed together, being the 
 most general. There was a table for the 
 speakers, and chairs and benches for the Euro- 
 peans, while the natives sat upon the ground ; 
 the king had a tent all to himself, where he 
 sat with the queen at his feet, and the crimson 
 wives of the M.P.'s crowded round him. In 
 former days each person brought his or her 
 subscription personally to the meeting, but that 
 plan was found so cumbrous that now each 
 village pays to its native pastor, and he brings 
 it in and reads a list of the subscriptions aloud. 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 91 
 
 As the ' Members of Parliament,' however, have 
 no special pastor of their own, they still claim 
 their right to present their own subscriptions ; 
 so after some really beautiful singing and a 
 
 prayer, and while Mr. C was reading out 
 
 the sums already received, the crimson ladies 
 (a most portly party) first marched up one by 
 one and tossed each her subscription on the 
 table, and then the crinolined gentlemen ap- 
 proached with immense dignity from the other 
 side, and threw down theirs. . . . 
 
 After several speeches from the missionaries 
 and native pastors, which, of course, I could not 
 understand, His Majesty, King Malietoa Lau- 
 pepa, came forward and made a long address ; 
 this was the first time I had seen him, and I 
 was glad to find that he looked much stronger 
 and younger than I expected. I believe he is 
 now recovering from all the bad usage he 
 suffered during the last war and its conse- 
 quences. When his speech was over, we came 
 away with Mrs. C — — to get something to eat, 
 and afterwards we returned to see the distribu- 
 tion of food which follows the meeting. All 
 the people bring provisions down with them, 
 and the residents of Apia supply their share, 
 but instead of each eating his own, every one 
 gives to his neighbours. A whole village ad- 
 vances, singing to a group sitting near by on 
 the ground ; or sometimes instead of singing 
 they merely call out, ' A gift of love from 
 
92 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 to ,' naming the two villages concerned. 
 
 Each carries something in his hand, a small 
 loaf, a couple of ship's biscuits, a fish cooked 
 and wrapped in green leaves, or vegetables 
 and fruit wrapped up in the same fashion ; and 
 these are dropped into baskets made of plaited 
 coconut leaves, which the recipients hold ready. 
 But this is not the end ; those who receive the 
 
 gifts hand them on to others, and Mr. C 
 
 assures me that they continue to do so for an 
 hour or two ; though in the long-run every one 
 gets enough to eat — even for native appetites ! 
 — and goes home replete and satisfied, and amply 
 content with the annual festival of the London 
 Missionary Society. 
 
 I think we are fairly beginning the rainy 
 season, at least the weather has been very 
 broken for some days. On Friday I started for 
 Apia, but had to turn ignominiously back, 
 drenched to the skin ; Saturday was wet again, 
 and kept all our party, who had been invited to 
 some private theatricals at the English consul's, 
 grumblingly at home. Yesterday was no better, 
 and to-day we have had thunder and heavy 
 showers ; but we are thankful for the rain, which 
 is sorely needed by the dried-up river, and half- 
 empty tanks, and all the young trees and flowers 
 and Indian corn. I fancy it will do good in other 
 ways too, cleansing and clearing both the air and 
 the ground. All our young people have had 
 slight fever of late, and we think they get it in 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 93 
 
 the banana-patch, which is rather swampy. But 
 otherwise we are all very well. 
 
 The rain has rather put a stop to our social 
 gaieties, but you will be amused to hear that 
 Louis took the whole family (save me) to Apia 
 last Thursday, to a . . . circus ! ! and a very 
 good one, too, I believe, though it seems odd to 
 meet with such a thing in a Pacific island. They 
 were all delighted with the cleverness of the 
 ponies and dogs, and the tent was so well 
 ventilated that Lou (who enjoyed it as much as 
 any of them) was not a whit the worse of the 
 expedition, which served as a sort of farewell 
 festivity to our good Henry. I think I told you 
 that he is a chief in Savaii, and only worked for 
 us to get a little money before returning home ; 
 his name is really Simold, though he seems to 
 prefer to be called ' Henry.' We did not expect 
 to lose him just now, but his people wanted him 
 back amongst them, because they 'had no one 
 but him ' ; so, as he said to Louis, he felt that he 
 must go 'to take care of my poor old children.' 
 We were all quite sorry to say good-bye, and as 
 he left on the Thursday, it was arranged that he 
 should dine in Apia with ' the family,' and go to 
 the circus with them afterwards. Fanny would 
 have liked you to see her walk in complacently 
 leaning on Henry's arm ; he looked exceedingly 
 well in a shepherd's check lava-lava, a black 
 coat, white shirt and tie, but bare feet and head 
 in the Samoan fashion. I have never seen a 
 
94 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 native here wear anything on his head but a 
 wreath of green leaves, either in rain or the 
 hottest sunshine. 
 
 Two days ago I was much distressed to hear 
 that the Turks had allowed the Russian vessels 
 to pass through the Dardanelles, and that 
 England had taken possession of an island in the 
 Mediterranean, and landed troops upon it. I 
 hope and trust this does not mean an outbreak 
 of European war ; that would be terrible indeed, 
 on all accounts, and I am selfish enough to dread 
 any interference with my journey home eighteen 
 months hence. I am afraid that in one's heart 
 one is apt to be petty-minded. . . . 
 
 Vailima, October 18. 
 
 I WAS quite wrong about the rainy season, 
 for which we are only now making serious 
 preparations ; one would think we were expecting 
 to be regularly in a state of siege. Lloyd has 
 been ordering provisions on quite a large scale 
 from Sydney, and explained to the manager of 
 the store that during the wet months our road 
 was ' exactly like a Highland river, only, unfor- 
 tunately, without the trout.' An important thing 
 that I have taken in hand is the varnishing of all 
 our books with spirit varnish to keep off damp 
 and insects. I have done my own and begun 
 on Louis's ; but it is a terribly lengthy job, and I 
 do not know when I shall be through with it. I 
 now know that it would be impossible to bring 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 95 
 
 well-bound or valuable books out here, one has 
 to be content with such as are strictly required 
 for use ; and I feel very glad to have found this 
 out while I have so few that I really cherish with 
 me. The varnish does preserve them to a 
 certain extent, but it takes a weary time to get 
 through all Lou's books. What with this as an 
 extra job, and teaching little Austin, which I 
 have undertaken, I have no time to spare ; 
 though I am not a whit more busy than the rest 
 of this ' hive of bees.' Even Lou is writing 
 both morning and afternoon just now, and when 
 he has a spare moment flies to his weeding. I 
 forget whether I told you that The Wreckers is 
 already running in Scribners Magazine, and 
 began, I think, in August ; Lou hopes to have 
 it finished by the next mail-time, and he will 
 then feel himself a free man. For the last four 
 years he has been little better than a slave, and 
 he has resented the tie terribly. For one thing, 
 he will certainly write no more Letters from the 
 Pacific — he has never liked or enjoyed them in 
 the least; and after this I hope he will never 
 bind himself down to a contract of the kind. 
 It does not suit him, and I don't believe he could 
 ever carry out such an arrangement without 
 suffering from it. He is wonderfully well just 
 now, and seems better in this showery weather 
 than when it was quite dry ; he stands getting 
 wet in a wonderful way, and rides home through 
 the frost at night as if he had never been ill in 
 
96 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 his life. I believe I have told you that already ; 
 but can't you imagine what it means to me to see 
 him able for such feats ? 
 
 We are very much interested in a fancy-dress 
 ball that is to come off on the 9th November in 
 honour of the Prince of Wales's birthday. The 
 
 G s are going, and will take Belle with them ; 
 
 and of course we have all been assisting to choose 
 their costumes. Fanny has designed one for 
 Mrs. G to wear, which will be most effec- 
 tive, I think; she is a very pretty Samoan 
 girl, and the natural native dignity will help to 
 make her a charming ' Zenobia, Empress of the 
 East.' She is to wear a Greek dress, made in 
 part of cotton-stuff with a gold pattern stamped 
 upon it ; and over this a crimson chuddah is to 
 be correctly draped, with a gold belt and many 
 beads of various kinds, and an elaborate gold 
 crown. But I shall give you further particulars 
 when it comes off. We think ' Fanua ' will look 
 very striking. By the bye, Samoans use no titles 
 such as Mr., Mrs., or Miss, but call you simply 
 by your Christian name, which sounds a little 
 surprising sometimes ; as when Talolo says, 
 ' Belle, I too much love my mother, may I go 
 see to-night ? ' or when Lafaele remarks, ' You 
 ask Lloyd to give me candle.' ... So we have 
 now arranged that they are to use our native 
 names, with which they have already christened 
 most of us : Lou is Tusitala, or teller of stories 
 — is it not suitable and pleasant sounding? 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 97 
 
 Fanny is Tamaitai, which means, I believe, 
 high-born lady; Lloyd is Loya; and Belle is 
 Tuila, a name which we think very pretty, but 
 don't yet know what it means. Neither little 
 Austin nor I have as yet been dignified by 
 having Samoan names given to us. ' Have 
 patience,' Lou says to us, ' and wait till you too 
 attain to these honours.' . . . 
 
 I must not forget to tell you that I am now 
 the proud possessor of ... a circus horse ! 
 Before the show left Apia, they sold two of 
 their horses who were bad sailors ; and Fanny 
 praised this one so much for its quietness and 
 easy paces that I decided to buy it. It is a 
 vivid piebald ; and now that I have got it, they 
 all torment me by declaring that the children 
 will run after me and expect me to stand up on 
 the saddle and dance! I warn them all that if 
 they say much more, I shall insist on Fanny's 
 exchanging 'Tin Jack' with The Widow. ... I am 
 sorry to say I have not yet tried my new steed, 
 as he has hurt his foot somehow; there seems 
 a fate against our having two horses in 'going 
 order' that will carry a lady. Samoans know 
 nothing about horses, and, out of ignorance, are 
 apt to be very cruel to them ; they have to be 
 overlooked in these matters continually. When 
 they ride themselves, they go at a full gallop 
 up and down hill whatever the path may be; 
 and they think nothing of putting a saddle on 
 the top of a bad sore, and will do it unless care- 
 
98 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 fully watched. When the river here was dry 
 and water had to be carried for all the horses, 
 Lafaele calmly told Fanny that his horse was 
 quite different to hers, and did not require water 
 at all! 
 
 November 7. 
 
 WE are near neighbours to an affliction : 
 influenza has broken out in Apia, many 
 of the stores are closed, and we are so afraid 
 of bringing the infection to Louis that we keep 
 away from the place altogether. It is strange 
 what a violent epidemic form it always takes 
 in the South Seas ; in some of the islands they 
 call it ' the poison,' and it strikes one as a good 
 name for such a scourge. I trust we may escape 
 it, however, as we live up here amongst the 
 healthy breezes. 
 
 At present Fanny is planting out cacao, 
 mango, and breadfruit seeds ; the first are a 
 terrible bother, but she has now three hundred 
 plants nearly ready to be put into the ground. 
 Each seed, I must tell you, must first be rolled 
 in ashes to destroy insects, and then planted in 
 a little basket made of plaited coconut leaves ; 
 these baskets are kept on the verandah till the 
 ' shoots ' appear, and then, basket and all, they 
 are put into their permanent places, and the 
 coconut leaf rots away in the earth as the roots 
 enlarge and strike downwards. It entails a lot of 
 labour, but should repay her, we hope, in the end. 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 99 
 
 The oranges are at present in perfection, very 
 juicy and sweet ; and now that they are looked 
 after, we can count on having them, as well as 
 coconuts and bananas, throughout the year. 
 Just now we are also rejoicing in unlimited pine- 
 apples, mangoes, and barbedines, the latter being 
 very delicious and quite the South Sea equiva- 
 lent — though I won't say equal — to strawberries 
 at home. 
 
 November 9. 
 
 THE ball has been put off till the 25th on 
 account of the influenza, and, unless things 
 improve, it remains to be seen whether it can 
 be managed then. I hope so, for the sake of 
 the young people. Fanny made a lovely crown 
 
 for Mrs. G , covered with gold net and 
 
 studded with many-coloured stones that she had 
 picked up at Royat and elsewhere ; it is most 
 becoming, and you can imagine the pleasure it 
 
 gives to Zenobia! Miss G is to represent 
 
 a ' water-witch ' ; her dress is very pale green, 
 decorated with coral and sea-shells, and as she 
 is very fair, with a lovely complexion, it ought 
 to be charming. Belle goes as a ' Spanish 
 Lady,' with a black lace skirt, trimmed with 
 gold, and a black bodice opening over an under 
 one of white. She is to have a high comb in 
 her hair and a crimson flower; and she hopes 
 people will think that she has got her fan, with 
 a bull-fight painted on it, specially from Spain 
 
ioo LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 for the occasion ! Talking of Spain reminds me 
 that I was amused to find that my plan of leaving 
 off stockings for coolness is the universal fashion 
 in Mexico ; where even at a ball they wear lovely 
 little satin slippers on their bare feet. Indeed, 
 I cannot see any more objection to showing our 
 feet uncovered than our hands ; true, there is 
 the question of keeping them clean and unhurt, 
 but if shoes are worn this difficulty disappears. 
 At all events — and I speak with feeling ! — it is 
 better than deliberately walking about in good 
 stockings with no shoes on, as Lou does, to my 
 righteous indignation. Henceforth I mean to 
 draw the line at that, and I tell him I will neither 
 knit nor darn any more socks for him unless he 
 learns to treat them better. . . . 
 
 As I began this letter, so it seems I must end ; 
 we are still making preparations for the 'storms.' 
 A very strong-roofed woodhouse has been built 
 a little way behind the kitchen, and connected 
 with it by a covered way, that will shelter us 
 in any weather; Fanny, too, has had wooden 
 shutters added outside the unprotected windows 
 of her room. In mine an extra door has been 
 cut in the partition between this and the pantry ; 
 so that in the event of a great storm, when it 
 would be impossible to open the large doors to 
 the front, I can still reach the dining-room by 
 the pantry and back verandah. I wonder a little 
 what it will feel like to need all these precautions, 
 and whether we shall suffer in any way from the 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 101 
 
 damp. At present Lou is not very well; but 
 the climate must not bear the blame of it. As 
 a matter of fact, he wrote so tragic and exciting 
 a chapter of The Wreckers the other day that he 
 was altogether knocked up by it ; indeed, I do 
 not think he got over the effect till yesterday, 
 when he was able to tell us that at last it was 
 finished. It was a great weight off all our minds, 
 and we rejoiced along with him. 
 
 This is the last letter that will reach you this 
 year, so I must close it by wishing you every 
 blessing and happiness, and to you and all the 
 many dear ones at home a merry Christmas. How 
 many loving messages I would like to send you, 
 each and every one. . . . But instead of trying 
 to do anything so impossible, I shall give you 
 the Samoan greeting, than which nothing can be 
 sweeter or more graceful ; I shall say Talofa, 
 which is, ' My love to you.' 
 
 Vailima, Sunday, November 15, 1891. 
 
 WE have had at least one important day — 
 to us — since I last wrote : we cele- 
 brated the 13th November as Miss I 's birth- 
 day. (I hope you have not forgotten that 
 transaction ?) Of course, as I carefully explained 
 to Louis, he has now no right to expect any 
 presents, but for the sake of auld lang syne I am 
 giving him a bathroom, which he did not see his 
 way to indulging in for the present. It will 
 undoubtedly be a great comfort in this climate, 
 
102 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 Lou declares, however, that he is afraid Miss 
 
 I may have a legal claim to it, and when 
 
 this was told to her father, he begged us to have 
 the building made as portable as possible, so 
 that it might be easily sent to her ! It is now 
 being put up, and is a substantial wooden erec- 
 tion opening off the back verandah, with a tank 
 or reservoir upon the roof. There is not, un- 
 fortunately, enough water in the dry season to 
 permit of a large plunge-bath, but in the future 
 this difficulty may be overcome, and even as it 
 is it will be a great convenience and comfort. 
 
 The birthday itself was very pleasant. We 
 had for dinner a most excellent little roast pig of 
 our own rearing, with miii 1 sauce, and an iced 
 cake with ' R. L. S.' on it, that took me back to 
 far-away days in the long past, when such cakes 
 were a great yearly event. I could not help 
 wondering, too, what I should have thought if 
 any one had told me on the real birthday that 
 that mite and I could spend its forty-first anni- 
 versary together in a home of our own in one of 
 the Pacific islands. How impossible it would 
 have seemed, and yet here we are, surrounded 
 by many of the comforts and luxuries of home, 
 and very grateful for them all. Well, it is a 
 good thing on the whole that we cannot foresee 
 what will happen ; for, as Lou puts it, half the 
 worth of life is in its unexpectedness. . . . But 
 to return to the birthday, Austin's contribution 
 
 1 Miti, a relish composed of coconut and salt water, etc. 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 103 
 
 to the general entertainment was reading aloud 
 ' John Gilpin ' ; which he really did with such 
 effect that I felt quite proud of my pupil. Cowper 
 is introducing him to a number of new and 
 strange ideas, such as snuff-boxes, snuffers, and 
 such bygone fashions ; and it is curious to me, 
 and rather sad, to realise how many of the old 
 familiar objects and customs of our youth have 
 now passed away for ever. What was only just 
 before our day seems like another world to a 
 child of the youngest generation. This enter- 
 tainment, however, was not quite our only social 
 
 celebration of the day : we had asked the G s 
 
 to dinner, and though they could not come, Mr. 
 G arrived in the evening with two gentle- 
 men from New Zealand, and stayed till ten 
 o'clock, when we were all dead tired and very 
 sleepy, as we rarely sit up later than 9 p.m. It 
 was a very pleasant evening, however, and I 
 must give you one characteristic touch. Lloyd 
 was describing his sensations when attacked by 
 Samoan fever. ' You suddenly feel sick and 
 giddy,' he said, 'and have a strong desire to sit 
 down on a box.' That undesigned touch of the 
 box supplies a strong bit of local colour, as we 
 are still very badly off for chairs ! A cabinet- 
 maker in Apia has been busy — or ought to have 
 been busy — for many months making eighteen 
 for us out of our own wood, after a charming 
 old-fashioned model supplied by Fanny ; but we 
 seem no nearer to getting the chairs, in spite of 
 
io 4 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 repeated objurgations, and have not even suc- 
 ceeded in making him return the model. 
 
 Talking of 'local colour,' I wish you could 
 look in upon us at breakfast ; it always strikes 
 me as a typical South Sea scene, and so unlike 
 what you are used to at home. We have both 
 the doors to front and back wide open at that 
 meal, as Louis does not join us at it, and we are 
 not afraid of the draught when he is not there ; 
 so we can not only superintend the kitchen 
 operations from the back door, but Lloyd, by 
 turning his head in the other direction, over- 
 looks the boys working on the lawn, and calls 
 out to them when he sees any idling. Faiima 
 waits on us at table, and Talolo does the cook- 
 ing, while Pulu, his assistant, skips across from 
 the kitchen every few minutes with a plate of 
 fresh hot cakes, clearing the steps of the 
 verandah at a bound, and handing over his dish 
 to Faiima, who brings it in to us. They look 
 very nice and neat in their lava-lavas, with fresh 
 flowers always beautifully arranged in their hair ; 
 but you will be amused to hear that Faiima is at 
 present wearing as an upper garment an old 
 Shetland vest that has travelled hither all the 
 way from Edinburgh. She finds the mornings 
 cold just now, though the thermometer, if it 
 does not rise above 82°, never falls below 74° ; 
 and then, no doubt, the 'woolly,' if rather incon- 
 gruous, seems to her not only comfortable, but 
 smart. The effect, however, is odd. 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 105 
 
 Sunday, November 22. 
 
 INFLUENZA has been very bad in Apia, 
 almost every one has had it, and there 
 have been many deaths ; so, as you may imagine, 
 none of us have gone down so long as we could 
 avoid it. On Tuesday, however, Louis was 
 obliged to go upon important business, and he 
 came home quite upset and distressed at what 
 he had seen. He said the people were going 
 about like the ghosts of what they had been, 
 and a gloom seemed to lie over the whole place. 
 No one could think or speak of anything else. 
 The most cheerful answer he got from any one 
 was, ' I haven't been as bad as most,' and the 
 man who gave it looked so thin and ill that one 
 wonders what the rest must have suffered. It 
 was quite impossible to keep out of infection, 
 and Lou was so afraid of bringing it home to 
 
 us here, that he wanted to stay with Mr. H 
 
 till he saw whether he himself had taken it or 
 not. Of course, however, we would not hear 
 of this, and I am thankful that as yet he shows 
 no signs of illness, so we hope he has escaped. 
 This has again postponed the unfortunate fancy 
 ball, which was to have come off on Friday ; 
 now it is not to be held till the New Year, and 
 indeed, as both the German and American men- 
 of-war have left the bay to keep clear of infection, 
 there would have been an overwhelming dearth 
 of partners at present. What concerns me more 
 
106 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 closely is that my long-looked-for visit to Malua 
 is also impossible, as I hear influenza is exceed- 
 ingly bad there, and as before it is over the 
 rainy season will be upon us in full force. I am 
 afraid it may be many months before I can make 
 out the expedition. This is a disappointment, I 
 confess. 
 
 We have been taking some photos lately ; one 
 large one of the whole party was done on the 
 
 lawn, ourselves with our friends the G s 
 
 sitting in front, the house-servants behind us, 
 and the outdoor boys on the steps of the 
 verandah still further back. Zenobia, the Water 
 Witch, and the Spanish Lady all wore their fancy 
 dresses, and I hope to send you a copy some 
 day, but the difficulty is to find time to print it 
 with so much pressing and necessary work that 
 must be done. Every one is busy just now with 
 the cacao, as Fanny's plants are growing splen- 
 didly, and many are ready to be planted out. 
 Lloyd has first of all to superintend the boys 
 clearing space in the bush for them on the other 
 side of the stream. Fortunately it is not so hard 
 a job as it might be, as the weeds have scarcely 
 any roots, and just need to be scraped off the 
 ground ; while most of the trees are left stand- 
 ing to give shade. When an alley or strip has 
 been cleared sufficiently, holes are dug fifteen 
 feet apart, and a basket with its plant placed in 
 each ; a coconut is planted at each end of the 
 row to serve as a sort of guide-post. In this 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 107 
 
 manner — and you see it is a fairly lengthy busi- 
 ness — eighty-three cacaos have already been set 
 out, and a good many more are waiting their 
 turn ; while as fast as baskets can be made, new 
 seeds are being started. Lloyd has fallen on a 
 plan that makes the boys work very well and 
 willingly; he calculated the average number of 
 baskets they made in an afternoon, and then 
 told them he would give a cent extra for every 
 one above that number. The result is a great 
 rivalry as to who can turn out most ; and yester- 
 day two of the boys made twenty-five extra 
 baskets each, and were extremely proud of them- 
 selves. (By the way, they seldom take money 
 that is due them, but leave it standing, so to 
 speak, to their credit ; which is not surprising, 
 as they have no way of keeping money, no 
 pocket even to put it in, and if they went down 
 to Apia, would be expected to spend or divide it 
 all amongst their relations.) When a sufficient 
 number of baskets has been got ready, a cart 
 filled with earth is wheeled up to the back 
 verandah, the boys bring up the baskets, and 
 Lloyd and Austin fill them as fast as possible, 
 and hand them back to be carried to Fanny, 
 who sees them properly placed upon the 
 verandah. The spare space of the lower 
 verandah is already nearly filled up, and soon 
 the baskets will have to be carried to the upper 
 one. The planting of the seeds is done by 
 Fanny herself; and then, in a wonderfully short 
 
io8 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 time, as it seems to me, first one pair of leaves 
 unfold themselves, and then a second pair shoot 
 out above, and the cacao is ready to be planted 
 out. It all means a great deal of labour, and 
 Fanny has no time for anything else. She and 
 Louis went to one of the German plantations 
 this week to beg for more seeds, and she has 
 been promised another two thousand. I begin 
 to wonder where there will be room left for us ; 
 I declare the place is no longer a civilised house, 
 but a ranch, and am unkind enough to quote a 
 description I once read that said a ranch was ' a 
 place where you find broken-down wagons and 
 rotten fencing and uncomfortable houses, because 
 every one is too busy to do anything ! ' We cer- 
 tainly have not come to that, but I cling to our 
 English maid Mary, and find great comfort in the 
 fact that she can't be set to plant cacao ! 
 
 Saturday, November 28. 
 
 THE mail is expected to-day or to-morrow, 
 so I must bring my journal up to date or 
 I shall get into arrears. I am glad to say that 
 the influenza seems to be over now, and as most 
 of us have been down to Apia and are still well, I 
 think Vailima will escape its visitation, for which 
 we are all most deeply thankful. Bad as it can 
 be at home, I doubt if you realise what a scourge 
 it is in the South Seas, and how real a danger, 
 especially amongst the natives. I scarcely know 
 what we should have done, had it broken out 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 109 
 
 amongst them just now ; there is so much neces- 
 sary work on hand, not to speak of getting in 
 all our stores for the rainy season. It was 
 amusing to see the horses arrive with the last 
 load ; one had an enormous air-tight case filled 
 with groceries on one side, an equally large 
 wooden box slung on the other, and a bonnet- 
 box dangling below. I wonder the animal was 
 not frightened out of its wits, or hopelessly in- 
 sulted, by such a load on such a road! We 
 have already had two very bad thunderstorms 
 with tremendous rain, but neither lasted for 
 more than half a day, and I am told 'this is 
 nothing.' But I am quite sure that if anything 
 of the kind is to be continuous, we shall be 
 practically unable to venture out of the house. 
 Personally I do not mind, as I have plenty to 
 do ; and my little pupil takes up a good deal 
 of my time. At present he is learning ' Young 
 Lochinvar,' and is deep in the delightful days of 
 chivalry, going about in a helmet made out of 
 an old straw hat, a cotton ' coat-of-mail,' with a 
 wooden lance and a pasteboard shield. It is 
 odd to think of the difference between the world 
 that he imagines and the one he actually lives 
 in — this part of it, I mean. 
 
 December 5. 
 
 A YEAR to-day since I left London ; it does 
 seem a long time to look back upon, so 
 long since I have seen you all, and so much seen 
 
no LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 and done in its passing. I do wish, constantly, 
 that we were not so far from the old home, but 
 yet I may truly say, ' the lines have fallen unto me 
 in pleasant places.' . . . But I must finish off my 
 letter, as they are to go down to Apia to- 
 morrow, though the steamer does not actually 
 start for, I think, three days yet. Already, 
 however, the weather has to be taken into 
 account. Last Sunday I started for Apia in 
 the afternoon and got there dry, but unluckily 
 the rain came on very heavily some time before 
 
 the hour of service. Mr. H from Savaii, 
 
 who is doing duty just now, went to church to 
 see ' if there was any congregation,' and came 
 back presently to tell us that one man had put 
 in an appearance, but said that it was too wet to 
 stay ! It does not appear, from this, as if there 
 would be much church-going during the rainy 
 season, does it? I enjoyed my visit, however, 
 and returned on Monday all the better for the 
 outing. Here we are busier than ever with 
 cacao-planting, as a lot of seeds arrived unex- 
 pectedly on Friday, with a promise of more to 
 follow next day. All hands were at once set to 
 work : cooks from the kitchen, laundresses from 
 their washhouse, even Louis from his writing ! 
 till Mary and I were the only two unemployed. 
 It was a very busy scene, some making baskets, 
 some carrying in boxes of earth, some filling the 
 baskets and planting the seeds ; and on account 
 of the rain it had all to be done under cover of 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA m 
 
 the verandah. The pit from which the earth 
 was taken was covered over with a tarpaulin to 
 keep it tolerably dry ; but it was wet enough, in 
 Spite of this, to make a horrible mess of every- 
 thing and every one. All yesterday the work 
 went on, and the present ' burst ' will be finished 
 to-day, but I fancy more seeds are still expected. 
 I think 250 plants have been set out already, 
 and there are more than 2000 on the verandahs 
 in different stages of growth, so you can realise 
 something of the labour ; we have hired a whole 
 village, about halfway to Apia, to make baskets 
 at one cent apiece, with a Chili dollar and a tin 
 of beef for carrying up each lot of five hundred 
 baskets. The beef is a great treat, I believe, 
 and is said to be much better than any that they 
 can ordinarily buy. 
 
 The people here are now discovering that 
 Louis writes, as the Bottle-Imp is coming out in 
 the native paper, having been translated by Mr. 
 
 C . It is much appreciated, but leads to 
 
 some curious results ; for instance, the house 
 described in it somewhat resembles ours, and 
 a good many of the natives suspect that Mr. 
 Stevenson has the ' bottle ' himself. Again, „ 
 
 when Mr. C got in the list of subscriptions 
 
 for the May-meeting, he was surprised to find 
 a half-dollar entered to the name of the heroine 
 of the story, and on making inquiries he found 
 it was borne by a baby of the mature age of six 
 weeks, who had been called after Lou's heroine ! 
 
ii2 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 And by the bye, I must not forget to add that we 
 
 much enjoyed Mr. L 's reminiscences, quoted 
 
 in your letter. Louis remembers meeting him 
 very well, and remembers, too, his opinion of 
 
 his, Louis's, engineering powers ; Mr. L 
 
 observed that if Lou ever built a bridge, he would 
 not be the first person to walk across it ! . . . 
 
 Vailima, December 13, 1891. 
 
 IT is seven weeks to-day since I was at 
 church, and seems likely to be as many 
 more before I go again ; and yet every one 
 tells me that it is only ' broken weather ' as yet, 
 and though it might seem decidedly wet at 
 home, it is not the rainy season nor anything 
 like it. Well, you are likely to get very dull 
 letters if I have nothing but rain to chronicle. 
 On Thursday last the whole ' family ' was 
 
 invited to dine with Mr. M , whose mother 
 
 and sister are here just now on a visit. The 
 others went ; but as I have given up going out 
 to dinner, I stayed contentedly at home and 
 much enjoyed my roast mutton, taro, and squash, 
 with rice and cream to follow. It recalled 
 old days to find myself indulging in the thick 
 cream on the top, instead of conscientiously 
 mixing it all together, as I do when others 
 are to share in it. This was always one of the 
 special 'treats' when Lou and I dined alone 
 together, long ago, and were, as he used to say, 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 113 
 
 ' our own party.' I tried to imagine him sitting 
 beside me, as he did then ; but the surroundings 
 were rather incongruous, and save for the fear 
 of hurting their feelings, I could well have dis- 
 pensed with dining in state, with both Fauma 
 and Lauilo waiting upon me. I sat up to see 
 the others come home, and found they had 
 
 enjoyed themselves immensely ; Mr. M 's 
 
 eldest daughter, who has been at school in San 
 Francisco, danced and recited, and Austin, 
 evidently feeling that the credit of Vailima 
 must be upheld, volunteered to recite too, and 
 surprised his family by giving a passage from 
 the Lay of the Last Minstrel with great spirit. 
 There was some general dancing to wind up ; 
 and I must not forget to add that Louis, who 
 had spent the day since he left home about 
 10 a.m. in paying calls, not only went to the 
 dinner-party and was in capital spirits, but 
 actually joined in the dancing ! Now, isn't that 
 a very different person from the Louis that you 
 have been recently acquainted with ? He did 
 not return home, however, with the rest; after 
 so tiring a day, he and Fanny thought it wiser to 
 stay for the night at our 'town house.' And 
 thereby hangs a tale. 
 
 I do not fancy I told you that Mr. H 
 
 recently moved to a very nice house in Apia, close 
 
 to the sea, where I went with Mrs. C to 
 
 call on him lately, and was treated to beer by 
 the hospitable Abdul. We admired, and rather 
 
ii4 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 envied, the large and really beautiful rooms : 
 all the more that Louis had once thought of 
 buying this very house, but had given up the 
 idea on account of its situation in the low and 
 airless quarter of Apia. There is no doubt that 
 
 Vailima is much more healthy. Well, Mr. H 
 
 was hurriedly called away to Sydney last Tues- 
 day, and he sent us up a very kind message, 
 putting both Abdul and his house at our service 
 while he was away ; and that very night Louis 
 and Fanny were glad to take advantage of his 
 offer, and most comfortable they were. We 
 quite feel as if we had grown in importance, 
 now that we have (temporarily) a ' town 
 house ' ! 
 
 Mary and I are still hard at work doing the 
 books, about which business I already told you, 
 I think. It is a long and wearisome process, 
 and we are both very tired of it ; but now that 
 the table-work has been entirely given over to 
 Fauma and the pantry-boy, Lauilo, Mary is 
 entirely attached to me and is wholly at my 
 orders. Thus we get much more done than 
 when she had other duties, and I hope we shall 
 soon be 'through.' It is really a very necessary 
 piece of work, and Louis is very glad to have 
 it done for him ; but there is no doubt we are 
 greatly in his way, and one day he proposed to 
 bribe us to leave him alone ! When I said we 
 were nearly finished, he remarked, ' Then I '11 
 keep my money for something more pressing,' 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA n S 
 
 and I am still wondering how much he would 
 have offered us in his desire for peace ! 
 
 I have long looked on literature as a con- 
 tagious disease, at least so far as intention goes. 
 Its latest victim here is little Austin, who was 
 in bed with a chill one day, and passed his time 
 in writing a story. In the evening he read us 
 several chapters, which of course were greatly 
 cribbed from his favourite books, Tom Sawyer 
 in particular ; but it was wonderful how it was 
 put together, and amusing to hear him frankly 
 explain where the different 'bits' came from. 
 One of his heroes he described as 'handsome, 
 but mean-looking,' and when we demurred, he 
 announced triumphantly, ' Oh, but he is, just 
 look at him and see!' It was intended for a 
 ' portrait from life,' and as you can imagine, the 
 original felt duly flattered. . . . 
 
 December 22. 
 
 IN spite of the weather, which was threaten- 
 ing and showery, I got down to Apia last 
 Sunday and went to church with Lou, who was 
 staying at the ' town house ' for a couple of days' 
 change and rest. Then I hurried back, to make 
 the most of his absence, and finish the books. 
 Mary and I have been at work from morning 
 till night, and I have put everything else aside, 
 so as to get through by Christmas Day. Then 
 I shall be glad of a rest ! And then, too, I shall 
 have time to write, which just now I have not. 
 
n6 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 December 28. 
 
 ANOTHER Christmas has come and gone, 
 u bringing with it as usual many sad and 
 many happy memories. How much lies behind 
 us as we grow older ; and as Lou always replies 
 to any such trite remark, how much may still 
 lie gloriously ahead ! I thought of you all, and 
 sent many loving wishes flying across the seas 
 to each and every one of you. I had a quiet 
 day at home and plenty of time to think, which 
 I enjoyed ; all the rest went, as had been 
 
 arranged, to dine with the M s, but as the 
 
 weather was very unsettled and I was rather 
 tired and done-up, I did not care to run the risk 
 of a ducking. I had the house delightfully quiet 
 and to myself, as most of the servants got a 
 holiday ; and as I only decided against going to 
 Apia at the last moment, I had a festive Christ- 
 mas banquet of sardines and bread and butter, 
 and drank your health in . . . brandy and water ! 
 The party, however, was a great success. 
 Our contribution to the feast was a pig, four 
 ducks, and three dozen eggs, which are very 
 scarce in Apia just now ; four quarts of fresh 
 milk, and a great basket of vegetables, while 
 Talolo and Lauilo went to help in serving and 
 waiting. After dinner one of the ladies recited 
 Lou's ' Christmas at Sea,' and two Samoan girls 
 danced a very curious and graceful dance with 
 clubs and shields, and finally there was general 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA n? 
 
 dancing and supper. Lou enjoyed himself very 
 much, slept at the 'town house,' and came home, 
 next day not a bit tired. They all declared it 
 had been ' quite Christmassy,' and I am sure I 
 ought to feel it so too, for I got many presents ; 
 even Talolo gave me a piece of tapa, a large 
 basket, and an ebony and silver ring ; and 
 Faiima and Lafaele gave me another piece of 
 tapa, and some beautifully woven small baskets, 
 which I hope some day to show you. 
 
 On the day before Christmas, Fanny, who was 
 in Apia, sent us a Cassandra-like warning that 
 'something was brewing,' and we were to put 
 up all the storm-shutters, or at least have them 
 ready to put up at a moment's notice. We were 
 prepared for the worst, but so far the storm has 
 never turned up. After so many threatenings, 
 I almost begin to disbelieve in the rainy season, 
 or at least to doubt it being so black as it is 
 painted ; but the constant expectation is annoy- 
 ing, and hangs over me. Yesterday, for instance, 
 the unfortunate fancy ball was at last to come 
 off; and Belle started for it, accompanied by 
 Louis, who actually made up his mind to go 
 too! What think you of that? He returned, 
 however, to dinner, telling us that a hurricane 
 was expected during the night, and he did not 
 care to run the risk of being storm-stayed in 
 Apia. So once more we prepared ourselves for 
 a tempest, and once more nothing but rain — 
 though I grant it was very heavy rain — arrived. 
 
n8 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 I don't think, however, that we are out of the 
 wood yet; it is afternoon, and Belle has not 
 been able to make her way home, the thermo- 
 meter has fallen very low, and the wind is 
 steadily rising. We have all our shutters up, 
 and I am using the extra door into the pantry, 
 but I have a sneaking conviction that once more 
 it is going to come to nothing. 
 
 New Year's Day, 1892. 
 
 A HAPPY New Year to all of you, and 
 many of them, my dears. . . . 
 After all, we did get our first attempt at a 
 gale, though it never rose to the dignity of a 
 'hurricane.' Exactly at 3.10 p.m. yesterday I 
 heard a great noise, and rushing to the window 
 I saw all the trees lashing themselves into a 
 tremendous agitation, and branches snapping 
 and crashing off and flying in all directions. 
 Presently a large tree fell with a roar that re- 
 minded me of surf dashing over rocks, and a 
 little later another came down as suddenly; it 
 gave one a strange sense of littleness and im- 
 potence. A third threatened -to give way, and 
 if it had, would have destroyed the cookhouse, 
 so the boys had to be sent out to cut it down ; 
 and later, when it grew too dark to see, there 
 were many more. Yet Fanny says the wind 
 was not nearly so high as it was last February, 
 when it did less damage ; we fear that it is the 
 result of clearing the bush and giving the wind 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 119 
 
 <jroom to blow in,' and that in a really bad 
 storm we may lose all our splendid big trees 
 that we are so proud of. That would be a 
 serious loss indeed. This morning the lawn and 
 verandah were covered with broken branches, 
 large and small, and the tanks were all running 
 over, and the water lying in pools in all direc- 
 tions ; but there is at least one thing satisfactory, 
 and that is the way in which the house stood 
 the storm. It never even shook, and felt as 
 firm as a rock, and as no rain came in anywhere, 
 we think it may be considered really weather- 
 proof. Probably the worst of the storm is over 
 now, as the barometer is beginning to rise ; we 
 have ventured to take off the front shutters, as 
 they make the rooms so dark and gloomy when 
 they are up, but there is no saying when Belle 
 may be able to get home from Apia. The road, 
 I believe, is quite blocked with fallen branches, 
 and we must send boys to clear it before a horse 
 can pass. 
 
 January 4. 
 
 THE road was cleared by Saturday, and Belle 
 arrived in great joy to get back at last. 
 She had enjoyed the ball immensely, and says the 
 dresses were wonderfully pretty ; and really we 
 are quite glad it has gone off well, after so many 
 delays and difficulties of all sorts. But I doubt 
 very much whether such gaieties are very practic- 
 able here at this season of the year ! 
 
120 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 Vat lima, Samoa, January 13, 1892. 
 
 AFTER the storm, and for the whole of last 
 . week, we have had weather so beautiful 
 that I cannot help remarking on it ; the rains 
 made everything look fresh and green, and the 
 colours of sea and sky and foliage were almost 
 dazzlingly brilliant. I do not think that in the 
 eight months I have been here I have been 
 conscious of such sheer delight in the beauty 
 about me ; and if a storm is always followed 
 by this wonderful loveliness of new life upburst- 
 ing, it is well worth all the trouble and discom- 
 fort. I was even able to get down to Apia on 
 Sunday, to the first morning service in English 
 ever held here ; and though the road is certainly 
 bad, I got over it much better than I expected. 
 All the surface soil has been carried away by 
 the rains, leaving a track that is practically a 
 very broken watercourse ; but this only goes 
 as far as Tanugamanono, the 'halfway village,' 
 and from thence to Apia there is an excellent 
 road, recently remade and kept up by the 
 municipal authorities. When I get as far as 
 that, all my troubles are over ; but horses here 
 don't seem to care what they are asked to 
 walk on, which is one comfort — under the 
 circumstances. 
 
 On Saturday we were quite gay in a small 
 way, a ' rainy-season way ' as somebody sug- 
 gested. We had a Samoan chief called Mamea 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 121 
 
 to lunch, a fine, powerfully built, handsome man, 
 who speaks English perfectly, and also reminded 
 us a good deal of our old friend Kalakaua. We 
 all liked him, and we had plenty of time to get 
 'weel acquent,' as, though invited for eleven, he 
 arrived at 9 a.m., and stayed till three in the 
 afternoon! Our other guest, a native lady, 
 
 Mrs. H , was more conventional, and did 
 
 not appear till eleven o'clock. We gave them 
 chocolate before they left, which they greatly 
 enjoyed ; and Mamea awoke to a new and 
 enthusiastic interest in Fanny's cacao planta- 
 tions, which he had just visited, in consequence. 
 After they were gone, we had quite a succession 
 of callers, which was very pleasant in itself, but 
 had a sad result ; Louis, who was already rather 
 tired by two long and busy days in Apia during 
 the week, was thoroughly overdone, and has not 
 been downstairs since. He is better again, but 
 still a prisoner, as Fanny and some of the others 
 have slight colds, and he must be kept out of the 
 way of possible infection ; it is vexing, for he has 
 been so well and vigorous lately, and able for 
 so much. He started evening classes for any 
 of the ' household boys ' who cared to attend ; 
 he had only two pupils to begin with, Lafaele, 
 who is rather slow, and Lauilo, the pantry-boy, 
 ^vho is surprisingly clever, and already reads 
 English wonderfully well. Lou had chosen the 
 Arabian Nights Entertainments for his lesson- 
 book, and got so deeply interested in the ' Forty 
 
122 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 Thieves,' that I really do not know which of 
 them enjoyed it most. 
 
 Fanny has been very hard at work, this 
 time in her coffee plantation, superintending 
 the weeding, and the planting out of a lot of 
 young trees that have been maturing in a 
 nursery. There are more than 300, or will 
 be, when they are all out ; and as there are 
 1575 cacaos planted now, you see the ranch 
 is really progressing. It means a great deal 
 of work in the way of overseeing, however, 
 and a constant risk of duckings in the sudden 
 plumps of heavy rain. I, too, have an out- 
 of-doors occupation now, which fills up my 
 afternoons — weeding. There is a certain weed 
 here, called lantana, that is dreadfully trouble- 
 some if once allowed to get the upper hand ; 
 it grows to a fair size, and has a pretty red and 
 yellow flower — indeed, it is an admired garden 
 plant at home, but here it increases at a fearful 
 rate, spreading itself by its seeds, winged like 
 our own dandelion. Ever since I came I have 
 kept the lawn and avenue and the paddock 
 tolerably free of it, but lately I discovered that 
 the ' Hunter's Rest ' part of the grounds was 
 terribly overrun, so I set to work to try and 
 get it clear before the worst of the rains come 
 on. I weed for about two hours every after- 
 noon, beginning about three, when the greatest 
 heat of the sun is past; but it is still hot 
 enough, in all conscience. It is pretty hard 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 123 
 
 work, as the older plants are very firmly rooted 
 in the ground, and have to be dug up with a 
 trowel ; the seeds are in a kind of pod, and 
 escape so easily that it is not safe to leave 
 any lying about, so every one has to be brought 
 home and burned. I wish you could see the 
 condition I came back in — literally drenched 
 with perspiration ; but I really think it does 
 me good, and I eat and sleep better after it. 
 
 Our Samoan boys have lately taken to playing 
 cricket after their work is done, and are most 
 enthusiastic over it. They have only sticks 
 for bats and oranges for balls ! but it is amazing 
 how well they play ; of course, they are already 
 very skilful at many ball games, and I have often 
 watched them throwing one so high that it went 
 quite out of sight, and never failing to catch it. 
 But this cricket pleases them immensely, and 
 there is a great deal of laughter, talking, and 
 cheering over it ; we quite enjoy the fun as we 
 sit on the verandah after dinner. They are all 
 very good-natured and happy together ; in the 
 evenings they sit in a sort of shed, which was 
 originally the cookhouse of the cottage that 
 Louis and Fanny were living in when I paid 
 my first flying visit here. Here they talk and 
 sing songs till quite late at night. I have seen 
 their light burning as late as eleven o'clock, 
 and one of our boys is quite a celebrated 
 ' improvisatore,' I am told, and much thought 
 of amongst the Samoans. 
 
i24 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 January 1 8. 
 
 I GRIEVE to say Lou did not escape the 
 cold after all, even by isolating himself in 
 his own room. For a day or two he was very 
 feverish arid ill, and we were afraid it was going 
 to turn out the dreaded influenza. You can 
 imagine how thankfully I add that to-day he 
 feels a good deal better, and we hope it is going 
 to pass off. He has been so well and full of 
 energy lately, so thoroughly able to enjoy his 
 life and work, that we feel very sorry and vexed 
 about this ' throw-back.' It fills my thoughts to 
 the exclusion of all else. 
 
 January 25. 
 
 HE is still far from well, and his cough is 
 troublesome. I do not think he will 
 get rid of it without a sea trip to strengthen 
 and refresh him. Unfortunately there have been 
 rearrangements in the steamer service, which, 
 though very convenient for passengers from 
 San Francisco, make it no longer possible to 
 manage the run to Tonga by the one boat, 
 returning by the next, which used to meet it 
 there ; this was such a nice little trip, and could 
 be done so comfortably. Now the only possible 
 thing is to go to Honolulu, and return by the 
 next boat — a much less enjoyable and much 
 more expensive expedition; but if he is not 
 better before the next steamer leaves, he must 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 125 
 
 certainly go. Sea air sets him up quicker than 
 anything else. 
 
 It is evident, however, that I need not com- 
 plain too much of influenza, as by the telegraphic 
 details in the newspaper it seems to be dreadful 
 everywhere, a scourge throughout the world. 
 It makes me very uneasy, and terribly anxious 
 lest I may hear of gaps in our dear home circle 
 of friends. 
 
 I don't think I have told you all our prepara- 
 tions for the rainy season yet. For instance, 
 I am sure I did not do justice to the nice fat 
 cosy appearance of my piano, in its new suit. 
 I had sent to Sydney for a waterproof cover 
 for it, but it was so long in coming that we 
 thought the order had gone astray ; and, afraid 
 to leave it wholly unprotected, we bought some 
 woollen travelling-rugs, and made it a warm and 
 well-fitting garment. No sooner was this finished 
 than the despaired-of waterproof ' coat ' arrived ; 
 but it was fortunately large enough to go over 
 the other, so the piano now rejoices in a most 
 elegant mauvy-grey frock, and a cosy flannel 
 petticoat beneath. We hope that this will be 
 sufficient clothing to keep off even Samoan 
 damp. 
 
 By the way, the damp is not the only enemy 
 of books here, nor the only evil that our system 
 of 'varnishing' protects them against. It is 
 a rather lengthy process, I confess, but if it 
 succeeds as well as we hope, will be worth all 
 
126 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 the trouble. The first day the outside is done, 
 and the volume is set up half-open to dry 
 thoroughly ; the second day, we go over with 
 a small brush all the leather corners, edges, etc., 
 inside ; and on the third it can be returned to 
 its shelf, which has meanwhile been well scrubbed 
 and sprinkled with borax, to keep off the cock- 
 roaches — a terrible plague amongst books here. 
 Another horrid creature is a long black fly — I 
 forget his name — that builds a clay nest right 
 on the top of the books from board to board ; 
 and they manufacture such a very strong gum 
 to stick the clay on with, that it is almost impos- 
 sible to get it off again, or to make the place 
 clean. A third trouble is the ' borer,' a sort 
 of mail-clad fly that no sooner gets inside a 
 volume than he bores a hole right through the 
 pages from beginning to end as neatly as if 
 it had been done with an awl. No, the damp 
 is not the only difficulty of a ' bookish ' sort 
 here, though perhaps it is the most important. 
 Nevertheless, I like the idea of your rejoicing 
 over the climate of Scotland in comparison with 
 ours ! Let me remind you that your climate 
 consists of 'ten months of winter and two of 
 bad weather ' ; that your summer is ' three hot 
 days and a thunderstorm ' — (and very lucky you 
 think yourselves, too, to have three fine days 
 in succession — / remember !) — while ours, here, 
 is arranged after a wholly different pattern. We 
 have six months with practically no rain at all, 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 127 
 
 three months with heavy occasional showers, 
 and I was led to believe that the remaining 
 three months were made up of almost constant 
 rain, during January, February, and March; but 
 as we are at the end of January already, and 
 have scarcely had a single thoroughly wet day 
 yet, I begin to feel as if the climate of Samoa 
 had been maligned. Moreover, the many fine 
 days in this ' hurricane month ' have been, I 
 think, more markedly beautiful than in any other 
 season. As to the wind, too ; think of the 
 number of pettifogging, but most uncomfortable, 
 storms that you have, whereas we have only 
 had one since I arrived in May. It is quite 
 excusable that when it does come, the wind 
 certainly blows with a will ! . . . Lou desires 
 me, moreover, to add that you, at home, would 
 need to varnish your books too, if you did not 
 keep more or less constant fires in your houses ; 
 and that if building at home was carried out as 
 it has to be done here, you would have to take 
 quite as many precautions as we do to keep 
 your houses from being blown away ! ! 
 
 January 31. 
 
 LOU is better — I need not say how much to 
 _* our relief; but we are not quite free of 
 trouble, for our horses are down with a sort 
 of epidemic that appears to be prevalent amongst 
 them just now. Several people have had heavy 
 losses in this way; and this morning Lloyd's 
 
128 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 beast, Macfarlane, died suddenly after only a 
 day or two's illness. ' He was the best we had, 
 so it is very annoying ; and Harold (Fanny's 
 horse) is still very ill, though there is a chance 
 that he may pull through. We are really 
 anxious about him ; in a place like this one is so 
 dependent on riding, and the animals are not 
 easy always to replace. It is a small matter, 
 indeed, compared to Lou's having a cold, but a 
 worry nevertheless. 
 
 Vailima, February 6, 1892. 
 
 DECIDEDLY I must repeat that the 
 climate of Samoa has been maligned. 
 This is again a lovely day, and now that we are 
 nearly half through the ' rainy,' I can find 
 nothing in it to complain of. It is true that 
 the rain, when it does fall, is heavy, and it is 
 not very pleasant to be caught in a shower ; but 
 the effect is so wonderful on all this wonderful 
 vegetation, that when you find yourself, as soon 
 as it is over, in the midst of such exhilarating 
 warmth and beauty, surrounded by what verily 
 seems an outburst of fruits and flowers, you feel 
 that such loveliness would be cheaply purchased 
 even at a much higher price. Just now, for 
 instance, I am sitting on the verandah, dressed 
 in a cotton holaku, and delighting in the balmy 
 warmth about me ; while you — yes, I cannot 
 help wondering what particular kind of bad 
 weather you are enjoying, and how many shawls 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 129 
 
 and fur cloaks you are wearing to keep the cold 
 out! 
 
 We did not succeed in getting poor Harold, 
 Fanny's horse, to pull through and recover. He 
 was found dead yesterday, and now we are 
 reduced to three steeds for riding purposes, or 
 rather to two, as Peggie, the mare, has hurt her 
 foot on the stony road, and cannot be used till 
 she is better. The native horses wear no shoes, 
 and are very apt to hurt their feet at this season, 
 when the rain washes all the earth off the roads, 
 and leaves them like very rough watercourses, 
 wet or dry, as the case may be. Thus our 
 ' stable ' is reduced to Jack and Tin Jack, my 
 circus horse, which will make us stay-at-home 
 folk in spite of ourselves. 
 
 We had a curious visit the other day. Two 
 gentlemen and a lady arrived on horseback to 
 call. I happened to be the only person available 
 at the moment, so I went to the dining-room, 
 and found a particularly pleasant young man 
 with a sweet-faced but delicate-looking wife, and 
 another man with them. A card was given to 
 me, but did me little good, as I had not my 
 spectacles on ; and I wondered very much who 
 they could be. I had just gathered that they 
 had lived three years in Samoa (principally in 
 Savaii), when Louis and Fanny came in, and 
 Lou seemed to know them well, and to be quite 
 sorry that this was a ' good-bye ' visit, as they 
 were returning to America — to Utah. This led 
 
130 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 the conversation to Salt Lake City, and I related 
 my experiences there, in my short and flying 
 visit. Something was then said about Mission 
 work, and I began to wonder if they could be 
 missionaries. But when I examined their attire, 
 and found that the ' nice young man ' wore tight 
 trousers of a brilliant blue coming just below 
 the knee, black canvas gaiters, and a striped 
 flannel shirt with narrow bands at neck and 
 wrists, I felt that the missionary theory would 
 not ' hold water.' Nevertheless there was further 
 talk of how they lived and ate with the natives, 
 so as to acquire a greater influence over them ; 
 and so many unmistakable references to their 
 work that at last it dawned upon me that these 
 were Mormon missionaries. I confess it seemed 
 very odd to me that they should be so like other 
 people, and (save in attire) so very like our own 
 men! After they were gone Lou told me that 
 he saw I did not know who they were, and was 
 on tenterhooks while I was speaking of Salt 
 Lake City, lest I should say anything 'out of 
 joint.' Most fortunately I did not utter a single 
 word that could offend them, but I tremble to 
 think of poor Lou's feelings if it had been 
 otherwise 1 It appears that he met the ' nice 
 
 young man,' whose name was Elder L , in 
 
 Apia, and had been much attracted by him ; they 
 had had a long talk about Mormonism, and for 
 one wild moment I believed the Elder hoped he 
 was going to make a convert of Louis ! All that 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 131 
 
 he did get, however, was an invitation to Vailima; 
 hence this visit, which we all quite enjoyed. 
 
 Mr. L has promised to send us some Utah 
 
 potatoes that weigh four pounds apiece — I hope 
 he won't forget; we are all agog to see them, 
 and Fanny's housewifely soul sees visions, I am 
 sure, of marvellous ' potato dinners.' 
 
 February 7. 
 
 I HAVE still lovely weather to chronicle — 
 are you not ashamed of your remarks on 
 the Samoan climate now ? Not only did I get 
 down to Apia for church this morning, but on 
 Thursday I started on a round of calls, not very 
 interesting, either to you or to myself, perhaps ; 
 for one calls under difficulties here. For in- 
 stance, the wife of the new German consul is 
 Swiss, and only speaks French, which made inter- 
 course difficult. Then, to reach the American 
 consulate (at present occupied by the new 
 American Land Commissioner), I had to go by 
 boat round the point ; the tide was very low, the 
 boat was aground on rocks and banks several 
 times in the bay, and when we got round the 
 point I found I had to be carried quite a long 
 way to shore by my boatman. However, I was 
 glad I had gone ; I found my hostess very home- 
 sick and lonely, and sorely regretting America. 
 I asked her if she did not enjoy seeing all the 
 strange new places she visited ; if she had no 
 spirit of adventure. ' Not the slightest,' was her 
 
132 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 emphatic reply. It seems a pity that such 
 chances should be given to one who does not 
 appreciate them, and who would so much more 
 gladly stay at home. 
 
 February 12. 
 
 I MUST tell you how my birthday was cele- 
 brated, while I remember it. I had been 
 very careful to keep the date to myself, and 
 imagined no one knew when it was ; but it 
 appears Belle had looked it up in my last year's 
 diary. On Wednesday Lou came into my room 
 and told me that Austin was to have a holiday 
 next day ; I was rather indignant, and asked 
 ' Why ? ' but he would only say, ' By my dis- 
 pensing power.' Next morning I awoke without 
 the least remembrance that it was my birthday ; 
 but just as I finished dressing Lou came to wish 
 me ' many happy returns,' and added, ' I sup- 
 pose you understand the reason of the holiday 
 now ? ' Later on I was informed that every- 
 body was to dress for dinner in honour of the 
 occasion, which I did, though I thought it rather 
 a bother ; but I was presently astonished to find 
 
 that Mr. H had arrived, invited without my 
 
 knowledge. We had a very pleasant little party, 
 and I am sure you will want to know what the 
 birthday banquet consisted of : oyster soup, roast 
 mutton, potatoes and bread-fruit, pudding with 
 lots of cream, a cake with sugar icing and my 
 initials on it — I wonder when last I had such a 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 133 
 
 thing — and champagne. And yet people ima- 
 gine, I believe, that we are ' roughing it ; in far 
 
 corners of the earth ! 
 
 After dinner, as we were sitting in the ver- 
 andah, Austin came forward and recited the 
 following verses, with great dignity and self- 
 possession, bowing to the Land Commissioner 
 and to me at the proper places — 
 
 ' A while ago, when to your hands I came, 
 I tripped on commas, stumbled at a name, 
 Browsed like the sheep of some ungenerous breeder, 
 On that lean pasture country, a First Reader. 
 
 Since when, by you presented, early and late, 
 I sit and feast with all the good and great, 
 And pass the flagon round, and praise my lot, 
 With Burns and Byron, Addison and Scott. 
 
 Since when, a practised knight, fear laid aside, 
 Through verbal Alps unfaltering I ride, 
 With polysyllables prone a great practitioner, 
 And need not blush before a Land Commissioner ! 
 
 For which good gifts they chose me (choosing right), 
 To grace with speech the ritual of the night, 
 Deliver his rough verse, with easy mien, 
 And make our bows before our Lady-Dean.' 
 
 At ''his rough verse' Austin pointed to Lou, so 
 
 you will guess who was responsible. Mr. H 
 
 was delighted with it, and promptly recited a 
 piece himself that he had learned when he was 
 ten years old, and had never forgotten. 
 
 We wound up with a couple of rubbers of 
 whist, and I felt that I had thoroughly enjoyed 
 my birthday ; though, by the way, I was rather 
 
134 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 disgusted by both Lou and Mr. H declaring 
 
 that women have no grand climacteric. What 
 
 has G to say to that? I felt that such a 
 
 statement was quite lowering to the occasion, 
 which, as I pointed out, could not be anything 
 but ' grand ' to me, as I had never had a poem 
 written specially for and to me before. I hope 
 you observe that Louis put as many long words 
 into the verses as he could, to give Austin the 
 better opportunity to show off his powers ! 
 
 February 14. 
 
 YESTERDAY we had a visit from Captain 
 H , who is the manager of the largest 
 
 German plantation here. He went all over 
 the cacao plantation, and was delighted with it, 
 and thinks it will turn out splendidly. You 
 must know that the usual way here is to clear 
 away all the bush, and then plant the young 
 cacaos, each with a ' shade-tree ' beside it, that 
 will grow faster than the cacao and shelter it 
 from the violence of the sun. When Louis 
 was told this he said at once, ' What is the use 
 of cutting down the bush and then planting 
 shade-trees ? Why not just leave the bush and 
 plant the cacaos in it ? ' This is what we have 
 done, therefore, only clearing away the under- 
 growth, of which there is not much among the 
 high trees. Of course this was a great saving, 
 alike in time, labour, and expense, but as it was 
 a new experiment we were glad to have the 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 135 
 
 approval of one who knows so much on the sub- 
 ject. Indeed, Captain H says that he would 
 
 try the same plan himself, were it not that he is 
 cramped by orders from headquarters. I fancy 
 they are somewhat like the Medes and Persians, 
 fond of ' the law which altereth not.' 
 
 I am rather glad, however, that the cacao- 
 plants are no longer in possession of our ver- 
 andahs. The plantation being quite a quarter 
 of a mile from the house, it has been found more 
 convenient to arrange a nursery for the young 
 seedlings close by ; the baskets are placed to- 
 gether, and covered over with banana leaves, 
 till the young shoots are well above ground. 
 You cannot imagine how much this plan adds to 
 our comfort : the verandah looks so spacious, 
 and gives such a sense of air and coolness now 
 that it is unencumbered ; while there is the 
 satisfaction of knowing that the plants in no 
 way suffer by their removal. I think, indeed, 
 all our things are doing well. A great many 
 new bread-fruit and coconut trees have been 
 planted lately ; the bread-fruit came from Vailele 
 plantation, and are six or seven feet high. All 
 the leaves were taken off before they were 
 moved, and they are wrapped in a sort of petti- 
 coat of plaited banana leaves, which has a most 
 comical effect ; but they will not long need 
 artificial clothing, as already I see little green 
 buds appearing all over them. Since I came in 
 May we have had two crops of Indian corn, 
 
136 ,' LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 which is used green for cooking, and ripe for 
 the hens ; and amongst it grow a quantity of 
 peanuts. I wonder if you know what these are 
 like? The pea-plant creeps along the ground, 
 and small yellow flowers come out along its 
 shoots or stalks. These gradually turn down 
 into the earth and develop into nuts ; so that 
 when they are ripe you pull up a stalk from the 
 surface of the earth, and find a lot of the odd 
 little nuts hanging from it. 
 
 February 22. 
 
 I RODE down to church last night. From 
 Mr. C I heard very good news about 
 
 Samoan affairs ; it seems that a reconciliation 
 is really to take place between Malietoa and 
 Mataafa. The king has promised to receive 
 Mataafa and to give him a place near himself ; 
 and what do you think that place, or position, is 
 to be ? He cannot, it seems, receive him as a 
 son, because then he could take the king's name 
 and have a right to the succession ; so here comes 
 in Samoan diplomacy, and he is to be received 
 as a . . . daughter ! ! The grey-headed elderly 
 man is to be accepted as a 'pure virgin,' and 
 after being so accepted, he cannot marry without 
 the consent of his (new) family. We are very 
 much amused at the arrangement, but so long 
 as peace is secured, I don't suppose the fiction 
 will do any one any harm. 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 137 
 
 Saturday 27. 
 
 AS I have just had your letter, I hasten to 
 answer your questions lest I forget them 
 later. Surely, in telling you so much about our 
 cacaos, I must have described the ' fruit ' of the 
 full-grown tree, from which both chocolate and 
 cocoa are prepared ? The seeds are in large 
 pods very like gherkins, which grow out round 
 the stem of the tree, much in the same way as 
 the mummy-apples do. Of course you under- 
 stand that we have nothing to do with the manu- 
 factured products, any more than the farmer 
 who grows the corn undertakes to grind or bake 
 it. But if the trees do well, when they are five 
 years old they should bring in about two shil- 
 lings a year each tree of profit after paying all 
 expenses ; from which you can perceive that a 
 few plants are of no use at all, and that it is only 
 by growing it on a large scale — by the thousand 
 — that any reasonable income can be made from 
 them. As to the barbedine, it is like a good- 
 sized vegetable-marrow of an apple-green colour, 
 turning yellowish as it ripens ; but we have to 
 gather them unripe and store them, to preserve 
 them from the ' flying-foxes,' a beast of the bat 
 tribe, but much larger, that is very destructive. 
 And as regards our live stock, it may be said 
 to flourish under difficulties. I regret to say 
 that the cats are now as bad as the rats at 
 stealing chickens, and I am afraid we shall have 
 
138 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 to get rid of the pussies ; the first brood of 
 chicks for this season has just come out, but I do 
 not know if we shall save any from their many 
 enemies. We have never had more than two 
 cows giving milk, and we use all they provide 
 with great ease, without attempting to make 
 butter. Lou bought a cow in November which 
 was to calve in a fortnight ; but I regret to say 
 that that calf has not yet put in its appearance, 
 and we begin to think it is a myth — such are 
 the difficulties of a landowner here ! 
 
 March 2. 
 
 ON Monday evening Louis took the chair 
 at a public meeting of the white inhabi- 
 tants in Apia, to consider the approaching 
 revision of the Treaty. He had not done any- 
 thing of the kind since the old ' Speculative ' 
 days, and we were rather afraid lest it might be 
 too much for him ; however, I am thankful to 
 say, that although he was caught in a heavy 
 shower going down and got soaked through, he 
 came home last night tired, but not at all the 
 worse for the exertion. There was one rather 
 amusing circumstance that I must tell you about. 
 At the beginning of the meeting a German 
 trader who, rightly or wrongly, is said to be 
 very fond of making mischief, stood up and 
 objected to the chair being taken by 'a 
 frivolous novelist.' At the end of the evening 
 this same man stopped the person who was 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 139 
 
 beginning to propose a vote of thanks to the 
 chairman, and insisted on doing it himself! . . .., 
 We have had such a delightful new walk 
 made by the side of the stream, now on one 
 bank of it and now on the other, crossing and 
 recrossing by means of six little rustic bridges. 
 Sometimes the banks rise high on each side and 
 nothing is to be seen but stream, and trees, and 
 sky ; and after the fifth bridge the trees fall back 
 in a ' fairy circle,' where there are rustic seats 
 and a table. Here I often sit with my book and 
 work, for the shade and the sound of the water 
 make it feel so reposeful and cool. 
 
 Vailima, March 6, 1892. 
 
 I THINK the sensation, or at any rate the 
 novelty, of this past week has been a 
 funeral in our own grounds. It came about 
 this way. 
 
 Some time ago, when clearing a path a little 
 distance behind the house, the boys came upon 
 some human bones. Louis examined them, and 
 found that they consisted of the entire skeleton 
 of a man, with the addition of a second head ; 
 from which he drew some very interesting con- 
 clusions. You must know that just here, where 
 our house stands, a great battle — or so the 
 natives call it — was fought about eleven years 
 ago ; and Louis is convinced that these bones 
 were once one of the warriors that fought here, 
 that he had shot his enemy and was carrying 
 
i4° LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 off his head in Samoan war-fashion, when in his 
 turn he was shot down and killed. It seemed 
 a strange little story to be told, or indicated, by 
 a heap of bones lying hid and forgotten under 
 the bush. Lou was touched by it, and felt as 
 if we who live on the same spot owed at least 
 a friendly burial to our unknown neighbour ; so 
 one day after lunch we betook ourselves, with 
 
 Mr. H and one or two other friends, and 
 
 all the boys, by a path that had been specially 
 cleared through the wood. In a few minutes 
 we reached the place, where a grave had been 
 prepared, and the bones coffined and deposited 
 in it ; and Louis, standing at the head of the 
 grave, told again how they had been found, and 
 what he conjectured about them. He added 
 that he could not bear to shut away this unknown 
 brother into the earth without some sort of fare- 
 well ; and so he had asked us all to come and 
 
 bid him 'rest in peace.' Mr. S made a 
 
 little speech also, though it was more concerned 
 with Louis, and with all he had done, than with 
 the poor bones we had come to bury ; and after 
 that the grave was filled in, and Lloyd fired 
 seven shots across it from his revolver. We all 
 said Tdfa, farewell, as we turned away ; and left 
 our warrior deep in the heart of the greenwood 
 where he fought and fell barely a dozen years 
 ago. It was odd how strangely human that 
 handful of bones seemed to us all, and how 
 closely linked to us in life and death. 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 141 
 
 Another day we had invited some Samoan 
 chiefs to lunch ; Mamea and Folau arrived, but 
 Selu had been detained on business. They 
 really came to confer with Louis about the road 
 through Tanugamanono, the village that lies half- 
 way between Vailima and Apia ; the municipality 
 is anxious to continue the road, but the villagers 
 are very much set against it. The truth is, they 
 have been foolish enough to plant bread-fruit 
 trees just where the road must pass ; and though 
 the municipality are quite willing to pay for the 
 trees they would need to cut down, the natives 
 will not hear of it. At present we pass through 
 the village by a track or path that winds in and 
 out amongst the bread-fruit, and more than once 
 I have had my hat knocked off by the branches, 
 when there is nothing for it but to sit still and 
 call for help. Even when it comes, my troubles 
 are not wholly at an end ; I must sign that I 
 want my hat picked up, and then that the pony 
 must be held while I succeed in tying it on my 
 head again. You can imagine, therefore, that 
 my sympathies are with the road-makers. 
 
 Well, these chiefs think that Louis may be 
 able to persuade the villagers to see that the 
 road would be for their own good, and they 
 came to ask him to try his powers ; and it was 
 finally arranged that five of the principal men 
 of Tanugamanono are to come here to-morrow 
 at 3 p.m., and Lou is to give them a tauma 
 fatangaitiiti, which being interpreted is 'a little 
 
i42 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 feast' I wonder what will come of it. The 
 three chiefs, Mamea, Folau, and Selu, are to be 
 present and assist at the discussion, and natur- 
 ally we are all deeply interested, the more so 
 as a better road would be an enormous boon 
 to us. 
 
 March 8. 
 
 THE 'little feast' — I spare you the anything 
 but little native term — has come and gone 
 and passed off very pleasantly, though not quite 
 without some hitches that bothered us a little. 
 We only expected the men that had been in- 
 vited, and prepared for a party of twelve ; we 
 ladies intended to keep modestly out of the way, 
 and Fanny and Belle even started off for a ride. 
 They had luckily not gone far when they met 
 the 'party arriving,' and found that the Tanuga- 
 manono men were accompanied by their wives, 
 and by one boy into the bargain ; which not only 
 meant six additional guests, but forced us all to 
 stay and keep them company, On the top of 
 
 this Captain H and a friend arrived to call, 
 
 and of course were asked to join us and assist ; 
 so our party was exactly doubled. Lauilo had 
 the ordering of everything, in native fashion, 
 intrusted to him. The feast took place on the 
 front verandah, the middle part of which was 
 covered with plaited coconut and banana leaves ; 
 and on these were placed pieces of boiled salt 
 beef, quantities of baked taro and potatoes, a 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 143 
 
 great many tinned meats, some opened for use, 
 others ready in case of need, tins of fruit of 
 various kinds, and piles of cabin biscuits, heaped 
 here and there amongst the other eatables. 
 There were a few knives for handing about to 
 cut slices off the meats, and a few spoons for 
 helping the preserved fruit — fingers did the rest. 
 
 When all had arrived, Louis presented some 
 roots of kava to the principal chief present. If 
 he had kept them it would have meant that he 
 would prefer to take the kava home with him ; 
 but as he at once returned them to Lou, it meant 
 that he would like to drink the kava with us, as 
 a sign of friendship and confidence. Immedi- 
 ately a large bowl, standing on three feet, and 
 filled with kava that had been previously pre- 
 pared, was carried in and placed at the other 
 end of the mats, or 'table,' opposite to where 
 the chiefs sat; the kava itself is a yellowish 
 muddy-looking fluid, and in the bowl there is 
 a bunch of fibre from the bark of a tree that is 
 used as a sort of strainer. You know, I dare say, 
 that all over the South Seas it is a ' ceremonial, 
 drink,' and possesses a complicated etiquette of 
 its own that it is very bad manners not to 
 observe rigidly. In this case one of our boys 
 presided at the bowl, with a ' talking-man ' from 
 the village at each side of him, to make sure that 
 the kava was given to each in the proper order 
 of precedence. 
 
 When all was arranged, another boy held a 
 
144 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 carved coconut cup of large size to Tilalu (the 
 dispenser), who lifted the bunch of fibre out of 
 the bowl in his two hands, and squeezed the 
 kava out of it into the cup till it was nearly full ; 
 the 'talking-man' called out the name of the 
 head chief, and the cup was carried to him at 
 the upper end of the verandah, to be emptied 
 at a draught, and handed back. Again it was 
 filled, and this time Tusitala was the name 
 called out ; and so it went on till the kava was 
 finished. I knew there would not be enough to 
 go round, since it had been prepared for only- 
 half the number of guests, and I confess I was 
 rather hoping that it would give out before my 
 turn came ; I had already tasted it, and thought 
 it more like Gregory's Mixture than anything 
 else I could recall. To my horror, however, 
 I heard Tamaitai Matua (which means elderly 
 high-born lady) called out, and the cup was 
 brought to me to partake of. As a matter of 
 custom and courtesy it is necessary to drain the 
 goblet to the dregs, so summoning all my courage 
 I did my duty nobly, and was rewarded by 
 finding that it was not nearly so bad as I had 
 expected, and is really, I believe, both refreshing 
 and wholesome. Lou's experience was the same 
 as mine at first, and now he is quite fond of it. 
 
 When the iaz^-drinking was over, the eating 
 began ; and I see that I have forgotten to men- 
 tion a real adornment to our ' table,' two heaps 
 of very fine large prawns from our own stream, 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 145 
 
 while for wine we had unlimited coconuts. 
 As we were eating, one of our boys sat on 
 the grass in front of the verandah plaiting 
 baskets of coconut leaves ; we knew it was the 
 custom to give each guest some food to take 
 home with him, and had prepared extra pieces 
 of salt beef for the purpose, but the size of those 
 baskets perplexed me and occupied my thoughts. 
 I was soon enlightened, however, as no sooner 
 had we done eating than our lady guests rose, 
 each seized a basket, and in an instant every- 
 thing eatable on the table was swept into them, 
 pieces of beef, taro, potatoes, tins half-empty, 
 tins unopened, biscuits — everything in the shape 
 of food disappeared from sight; a flight of 
 locusts or a giant in a fairy-tale could not have 
 been more thoroughgoing and expeditious ! It 
 was a curious scene, and the most uncivilised 
 that I have yet seen in Samoa ; though I noticed 
 that only the small boy trotted over the leaves 
 that had made our tablecloth to lift up the 
 remains, while the women, with some dim sense 
 of propriety, circled round the edge. Lauilo 
 says they are 'bush folk,' and have no manners 
 at all ; he is very angry that the wives should 
 have come uninvited, and begged Fanny not to 
 think that ' all Samoans are like that.' Yet he 
 allows that it is the custom here to carry away 
 all food that is left, and that it is intended to 
 show that the feast has been appreciated ; while 
 Captain H remarked that after all there was 
 
1 46 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 nothing new under the sun, and they were only 
 determined to carry away their ' twelve baskets 
 of fragments.' 
 
 When the feast was over, Louis took the men 
 to his room to have his talk with them ; but I 
 am sorry to say that he found them so greedy 
 and unreasonable that I am afraid no good will 
 come of it, and we must resign ourselves to 
 doing without a better road for some time to 
 come. 
 
 March 11. 
 
 THIS week a new interest is uppermost. I 
 must explain, to begin with, that our 
 
 nearest neighbour, now that the G s have 
 
 gone back to town, is a Mrs. W , a Samoan 
 
 lady married to an American, who took her to 
 San Francisco, and had her educated there. 
 She is really a clever, charming woman, and we 
 are glad to see a good deal of her ; and it hap- 
 pened one day when she was here that we dis- 
 cussed the way in which the white people in 
 Apia hold themselves aloof from the Samoans 
 and half-castes. There is no general society as 
 
 in Hawaii and Tahiti. Mrs. W regretted 
 
 this greatly, and said, ' How can we improve, if 
 they do not mix with us and teach us?' and 
 went on to suggest that Louis and Fanny should 
 take the matter up, and see what they could do. 
 After a great deal of talking it was agreed to 
 form a club consisting entirely of Samoans and 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 147 
 
 half-castes, the Stevenson family being the only 
 white people to be admitted. Of course the 
 first step was to get a few of them together, in 
 order to lay the plan before them, and see if 
 they approved of it ; so last night was fixed on, 
 both because the moonlight made riding easier, 
 and because it happened to be Fanny's birthday. 
 Twenty-five ladies and gentlemen were invited, 
 most of them being young ; a few of the ladies 
 were married to white men, and served to 
 ' matronise ' the rest, though the husbands were 
 rigorously excluded on account of their (lack of) 
 colour ; so rigorously, indeed, that although one 
 of them rode up with his wife because she was 
 afraid to come so far alone, he was kept down- 
 stairs the whole evening, and not allowed to join 
 the party. 
 
 We received them on the front verandah, which 
 really looked very pretty ; it was decorated with 
 Chinese lanterns, had carpets spread here and 
 there, and tables set with lamps and flowers. 
 All the sofas and chairs in the house, I think, 
 were brought out, and we just managed to seat 
 the whole party. Our guests all looked nice, 
 and were very well dressed, nearly all the women 
 wearing pretty holakus ; while the men especially 
 pleased us, they were so much more gentlemanly 
 than we had dared to expect. Louis 'opened 
 the meeting' with an address in which he ex- 
 plained the proposal that was before them : the 
 formation of a social club where we could all 
 
148 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 meet together once a week for amusement and 
 improvement. A room would be taken, fitted 
 with seats and lamps, a piano hired, and the 
 members invited to bring any instruments they 
 could play upon ; and no doubt further projects 
 would be taken up once the thing was set agoing. 
 One point he insisted upon : that there should 
 be a President, who should have the power of 
 instant dismissal in case of any misconduct. 
 
 A very nice young half-caste, C T , 
 
 replied, saying that this was the first time that 
 any one had tried to do anything for the Samoans 
 socially, and they were deeply grateful, and 
 agreed heartily with all that was proposed. 
 After a few more words as to the present 
 pleasure and lasting benefit that it was hoped 
 such a club might prove to them, we proceeded 
 to appoint office-bearers, Fanny being chosen as 
 
 President, C T as Secretary, and Mrs. 
 
 W , our neighbour and the original suggester 
 
 of the idea, as Treasurer. The entrance-fee was 
 fixed at five Chili dollars, or fifteen shillings, per 
 man, and half the amount for the ladies ; and 
 the monthly subscription at one dollar, or three 
 shillings, for the men, and half a dollar for the 
 women. This, it was thought, would cover all 
 necessary outlay ; though some of our guests, so 
 far from objecting, considered it was too little. 
 Lloyd had already been to Apia to inquire about 
 a room, and had found that he could get a nice 
 large warehouse behind Mr. H 's store, in a 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 149 
 
 quiet corner where they would not be disturbed 
 by the whole population of Apia staring in at 
 the windows. It was decided to engage this at 
 once, and it was further settled that the first and 
 opening meeting would take place on the 23rd 
 instant. To-day I have heard that the name is 
 to be the ' Royal Vine-ula Club,' vine-ula being 
 the native name of a flower that they look on 
 as emblematic of Apia, while the king, through 
 
 Mrs. W , has signified his approval of the 
 
 project, and his permission to use the word 
 ' Royal.' I believe, indeed, he is to be the 
 Patron of the club, or to bear some similar 
 title. 
 
 All this being settled, we had sandwiches and 
 cakes and lemonade handed round, and a few 
 delightful native songs were sung. About 10.30 
 they all went away ; and you have no idea what 
 a pretty sight it was to look on at the catching 
 and saddling of more than a score of horses, and 
 then at the merry cavalcade riding off in the 
 brilliant moonlight. When they had gone, and 
 the quiet night closed in upon us again, one felt 
 something of that curious silence and stillness 
 which falls over a house after a marriage. 
 
 March 24. 
 
 THE first meeting of the Vine-ula Club went 
 off, I am told, most successfully. As the 
 room was not yet ready, it was held in the house 
 of the young secretary, C T , which he 
 
iS° LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 had decorated charmingly with flowers and lan- 
 terns. Belle gave them their first lesson in 
 dancing the lancers, and they all enjoyed them- 
 selves so much that they did not break up till 
 very late ; in fact it was ' ayont the twal' ' before 
 our party got home. So it has started in a very 
 promising way, and is likely to be even more 
 popular when in full swing. 
 
 And now to answer your questions before the 
 mail goes. Indeed, we have never lived off 
 bananas, even for a day ; as a matter of fact, we 
 have not yet a large enough supply to make it 
 possible. I have heard Louis say that, before I 
 came, they occasionally dined off an Avocado 
 pear, 1 which is a long-shaped fruit that is eaten 
 in a savoury way with salt and pepper. Of 
 course during the great storm, when Fanny and 
 Lloyd were forced to take shelter in the stable, 
 it was not possible to light a fire or do any cook- 
 ing ; but at the worst there were always cabin 
 biscuits and other supplies that prevented them 
 from being reduced to a diet of bananas — a 
 starvation diet, indeed, considering the few that 
 were to be had ! 
 
 Further, as to whether my steed, Tin Jack, 
 kneels down when I tell him, I can only answer 
 as the man did when asked if he could play the 
 fiddle : ' Faith, I don't know, for I have never 
 tried!' . . . 
 
 1 The alligator pear {Per sea gratissima). 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 151 
 
 Vailima, April 3, 1892. 
 
 I WONDER if I told you of the domestic 
 drama that was lately played in or about 
 our kitchen. Its details are not known to me 
 — which, perhaps, I need not regret ; but it had 
 to do with Talolo, our excellent cook, and the 
 wife of Lafaele, our equally excellent 'house- 
 steward.' Said wife left him, which, I regret to 
 say, is not unusual here ; and Talolo being mixed 
 up in the affair, had to be sent away also. On 
 'high, moral grounds,' as Louis put it, we were 
 exceedingly sorry ; and I am afraid that on 
 grounds less praiseworthy we were equally sorry 
 for ourselves ! Talolo, as a cook, was not easy 
 to replace ; and when we tried a youth, christened 
 ' David Country ' by his last master, because 
 his native name was impossible to pronounce, 
 we became even sorrier. David had learned 
 too much of the horrible cookery that prevails 
 on trading schooners to be teachable ; and after a 
 few days of hopeless failure, you can judge of 
 our joy at hearing that Talolo and Lafaele had 
 ' made it up,' and we were to get our good cook 
 back again. I don't in the least know what 
 understanding they have come to, but I dare say 
 Lafaele is well rid of his wife, who will not 
 return to him. 
 
 You must know that both Talolo and Lafaele 
 are members of very good Samoan families — 
 landed proprietors, in fact — which sometimes 
 
IS 2 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 leads to surprises. While Talolo was away, for 
 instance, Belle met him at a picnic, most 
 gorgeously arrayed in native chief style in lava- 
 lava, and white shirt and wreaths of flowers, 
 and with a following of retainers. Her breath 
 was quite taken away by the spectacle, and she 
 wondered that she had ever ventured to scold 
 this imposing creature for not keeping his 
 kitchen clean enough to please her ! Moreover, 
 both Talolo and Lafaele are members of the 
 Vine-ula Club, and Belle is just now busily 
 teaching them the mysteries of waltz and 
 lancers, how to make bows, how to ask their 
 partners to dance, and to lead them back to 
 their seats, and I scarcely know what else. She 
 is herself an enthusiast in dancing, and very 
 good at it, and I think she quite enjoys teach- 
 ing such apt pupils. The second meeting of the 
 club was held last Wednesday, and was quite as 
 successful as the first ; Fanny's rheumatism un- 
 fortunately kept her at home, but Louis went, 
 and enjoyed it as much as any one. He left 
 home at noon, attended to business in town, and 
 was still able to dance every dance, only return- 
 ing home at midnight ! He was certainly tired 
 next day, but not a bit the worse for the exer- 
 tion. This meeting, by the way, was held in a 
 new house just built a little out of the town by 
 a merchant in Apia. He does not need it at 
 present, and has offered to lend it to the club ; 
 so that for the present they will not need to hire 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 153 
 
 a room. Once a month, when the moon suits, 
 they will meet here, at Vailima ; and at other 
 
 times Mr. P 's house near Apia will do very 
 
 well. So far, I think the chief occupation has 
 
 been the dancing ; but Fanny and Mrs. W 
 
 had both intended to read papers, and only 
 Fanny's rheumatism had delayed the literary 
 element till the next meeting. 
 
 April 7. 
 
 TO continue what I was saying, I must add 
 that the third meeting went very well, 
 and the papers were duly read and appreciated. 
 Fanny's was to the effect that while amusement, 
 was wholesome for all, she hoped that the mem- 
 bers of the Vine-ula Club would always so con- 
 duct themselves that it might be recognised not 
 merely as a society for recreation, but a school 
 of good manners. She, Louis, and Lloyd went, 
 but Belle, having a bad headache, stayed at home ; 
 and one of the members of the club, desiring to 
 say ' she was a great acquisition,' worded it rather 
 quaintly by remarking that ' Mrs. Strong's pre- 
 sence was a great improvement ' ! Our party felt 
 duly snubbed. . . . 
 
 To-day was Lloyd's birthday, and when he 
 appeared in the morning the boys all came with 
 wreaths and garlands which they twisted round 
 his head, neck, and waist, till he was a truly 
 edifying spectacle. Some of the green wreaths 
 and some lovely yellow flowers were laid on the 
 
154 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 lunch-table as a decoration ; and we had a roast 
 pig, which was high art in itself, a scarlet hibiscus 
 blossom on its forehead, and two green garlands 
 encircling its body. See how we celebrate our 
 festivals in classic dignity ! 
 
 April 14. 
 
 I HAVE not written for a week, because it 
 has been so hot that I have felt hopelessly 
 lazy and washed out. The heat is greater than 
 usual at this time of year, and indeed it has been 
 a most exceptional season altogether; no continu- 
 ous rain, and not a single storm worth speaking 
 of. In fact it has been so dry that the cacao 
 nursery has had to be specially watered ; and if 
 this is so in the ' wet ' season, what will it be in 
 the dry ? 
 
 Two more of our friends here are 'going 
 home ' ; she for ill health, and he having got six 
 months' leave to take care of her. That is one 
 drawback here, that the society, such as it is, is 
 always changing ; one no sooner gets to like 
 people than they go away, and with that in mind 
 it is hard to make friends with those who replace 
 them. However, no doubt it teaches us to value 
 all the more those who do stay. 
 
 I went to Apia on Sunday, and stayed all 
 day for both the services ; and on Monday Mr. 
 
 W rode up with me as far as the place where 
 
 the girls' school is to be built, about halfway 
 between Apia and Vailima. He took me all 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 155 
 
 over the grounds, and explained how and where 
 the house would be erected, in a delightful spot, 
 with a peep over Apia harbour, and the ships 
 lying in the bay. The house is to be begun at 
 once, and should be ready for occupation in 
 July ; while meantime there is much planting 
 of bananas and bread-fruit going on, these being 
 so important as a natural food-supply. Probably 
 I shall have more to tell you of the school in time 
 to come. 
 
 Last night the Vine-ula Club met here. It 
 was a lovely moonlight night, and there was 
 a full attendance ; they enjoyed themselves 
 greatly, and literally had to be sent away at 
 10.30! Belle's pupils do her great credit, I 
 must say, for they already know the lancers, 
 waltz, and schottische, and very well, too ; 
 while I own I was astonished to see Lloyd's 
 performance, for in the old days at home no one 
 could ever teach him to dance, however hard 
 they tried. My dear Tom used to write amusing 
 letters to Louis telling him of the (imaginary) 
 accidents that were the results of these attempts ; 
 how on the nights when Lloyd took his lesson 
 an ambulance was stationed outside the door of 
 the class-room, and the hospital filled with his 
 unfortunate partners, etc. etc. ! But all that is 
 changed now, and he dances with the best of 
 them, and thoroughly enjoys it. 
 
 It is a rule of the club that any refreshments 
 are to be of the simplest nature, so we only pro- 
 
156 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 vided savoury tongue sandwiches and lemonade. 
 They were handed round by our handsome 
 Fijian boy, Thomas (more often corrupted into 
 ' Massie ') ; and as he had got himself up in 
 correct Fijian style, I think I must describe his 
 attire. First he had on a dark-blue and white 
 lava-lava, then a white shirt over it ; and finally 
 a broad, pale-blue sash tied round his waist, with 
 the tails of the shirt hanging down below ! The 
 effect was striking, and his manners are most 
 
 dignified ; which is not surprising, as C T 
 
 tells us he is a member of the royal family of 
 Fiji ! His wife, Helena, is our precentor at 
 prayers, and is also our washerwoman ; and our 
 boys' verdict concerning her is, that she is 'a 
 very nice woman, but not so highly born ' as 
 most of our people ! Louis says we '11 pull 
 through, if that is the worst blot on our 
 escutcheon. 
 
 April 1 6. 
 
 THIS has been an exciting day, and I must 
 begin it with sad news ; my poor, dear, 
 patient horse Tin Jack was found dead this 
 morning, and we are all greatly grieved. He 
 was the gentlest, tamest creature that ever 
 existed, and I am sure we shall never see his 
 like again ; to me it is almost like losing a dear 
 friend. This is how it happened. About a 
 fortnight ago we thought some of the boys had 
 been riding the horses during the night, and to 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 157 
 
 prevent this they were taken out of their pad- 
 dock, and tethered near the house. Fanny 
 warned us that it was not safe to tether the 
 circus-horse, as he was not accustomed to it ; 
 but we thought she was playing the part of 
 Cassandra, and did not heed her. All went well 
 for a while ; till, alas ! last night poor Tin Jack 
 got his feet entangled in the rope and fell into 
 the river, where he was found in the morning, 
 quite dead. Lafaele, who has charge of the 
 horses, was so horrified when he discovered him 
 that he dared not tell us, and set off to walk 
 across the island — anywhere to get away. After 
 a time he thought better of it, and came back ; 
 and got Talolo to break the news to Fanny. 
 It is a terrible loss in every way, as it leaves us 
 without a single quiet or ' broken ' horse, so I am 
 afraid all my riding and churchgoing are at an 
 end for the present. Indeed, I don't think I 
 shall replace him, as before long I shall be start- 
 ing homewards. 
 
 The day, however, was to hold further events, 
 and pleasanter ones ; no less than a visit from 
 his royal highness, King Malietoa himself, 
 
 accompanied by Mrs. W as interpreter, 
 
 and attended by three soldiers, dressed in white 
 coats and trousers (!) and armed with rifles and 
 bayonets. The king also wore white, with long 
 yellow leather leggings reaching above the knee; 
 he is a pleasant-mannered, mild-looking elderly 
 gentleman, and made himself most agreeable. 
 
158 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 Of course his ignorance of English made our 
 
 intercourse rather difficult, but Mrs. W was 
 
 an excellent interpreter. We took the king all 
 over the house, and showed him everything that 
 we thought would interest him, and he was loud 
 in praise of all. He ended by staying to lunch 
 with us, and as it was a ' meat ' day (we do not 
 always have meat here ; once or twice a week we 
 confine ourselves to light dishes and savouries) 
 we had a good lunch, which he evidently enjoyed. 
 We also had kava made and brought in, and he 
 drank it with Louis — a great sign of goodwill ; 
 and I really think that, like our chief Mamea, he 
 would have stayed all day, had not Louis hap- 
 pened to say that he was going himself to Apia 
 to meet the steamer, in case Rudyard Kipling 
 should come by it. So the king went off at last, 
 about two, and it was arranged that if Kipling 
 did arrive, Louis was to take him to visit his 
 majesty, who made us all a little speech before 
 he left, telling us how much he had enjoyed our 
 welcome to Vailima. 
 
 April 20. 
 
 THE Kiplings did not come, though they 
 had booked their berths on the steamer ; 
 and Lou could not find out what had detained 
 them, nor whether they intend to come by the 
 next boat. He was glad, however, that he had 
 gone down, as ' Max O'Rell ' and his wife and 
 two daughters came on shore, and had breakfast 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 159 
 
 with Louis and Fanny. They had intended to 
 visit Vailima, but were glad to be saved the 
 long ride on such a hot day ; though I was sorry 
 not to see them, as they were most pleasant 
 people. 
 
 We have had another royal visit, from the 
 
 queen. Mrs. W accompanied her also, and 
 
 she had two men in attendance ; but this time 
 they were ' men of peace,' unarmed, and in the 
 ordinary Samoan lava-lava and shirt. It was 
 the first time in her life that the queen had 
 ridden on horseback, so it was really a great 
 undertaking for her; but she told us that the 
 king had enjoyed his visit so much that he 
 would not be satisfied till she too had been 
 introduced to the beauties of Vailima. We 
 took her over the house, and even into the 
 pantries and storerooms, and she was greatly 
 interested and impressed ; she started with 
 alarm at the stuffed head of Fanny's Californian 
 lion, and was amazed that any one could ever 
 walk about in her buffalo coat. She was a nice- 
 looking woman of between thirty and forty, and 
 was well dressed in a holaku of cream muslin 
 trimmed with pretty lace. She brought a press- 
 ing invitation from the king for us all to go 
 and lunch, in Samoan fashion ; but Louis is so 
 busy at present getting ready for the mail, that 
 he could not fix a day that would suit him, and 
 we are to settle that later. 
 
160 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 April 22. 
 
 WE are dreadfully mixed up with royalties 
 just now. I feel quite overcome by so 
 much splendour ! Another invitation has arrived, 
 this time from Mataafa, who begs us to visit him 
 and his court at Malie. You must know that 
 although Malietoa is supported by the three 
 protecting powers, the greater number of the 
 Samoans are in favour of Mataafa, who is 
 indubitably the abler man of the two, and (as 
 many hold) the more rightful king. We believe 
 that peace might easily have been made if the 
 reigning king had been wisely advised ; but 
 the moment was allowed to pass, the oppor- 
 tunity lost, and now no one knows how it may 
 end. I will send you a paper by this mail con- 
 taining the report of a speech made by one of 
 Mataafa's supporters, to show you what they 
 are saying ; and I think you will hear of a letter 
 from Louis in the Times very soon. I don't 
 attempt to write to you about politics, as I don't 
 profess to understand them ; and things change 
 so continually from day to day that it is fairly 
 bewildering to me. Louis, however, enjoys 
 the constant excitement, and it keeps up and 
 stimulates his interest in the place and the 
 people, and I think is good for him in many 
 ways. But to return to our invitations ; the 
 two kings are to be visited in the order of their 
 arrival, the king in possession first, and ' Charlie 
 ower the water ' later, so that no one can accuse 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 161 
 
 us of favouring one_ or the other unduly. You 
 see we must be careful when, even by reflection, 
 we for a moment share in ' the fierce light that 
 beats upon a throne ' ! 
 
 I must not forget to tell you the compliments 
 that Malietoa paid to me ; one at least Louis 
 thought rather two-sided, as his majesty insisted 
 that I looked 'very strong' to be the mother 
 of 'such an old son'! Indeed, he went the 
 length of saying I looked the younger of the 
 two, which Lou was half inclined to resent ! ! till 
 I suggested that it was ' considering my age,' 
 which took the sting out of it. The king also 
 greatly admired my cap, and I was amused to 
 see that he recognised it at once as being ' like 
 Queen Victoria's,' which shows that he notices 
 things, doesn't it ? 
 
 Vailima, May I, 1892. 
 
 AS my last letter was so much concerned with 
 l\. royalty, I may as well begin this one by 
 describing our visit to Malietoa, which came off 
 on Thursday. About ten or eleven o'clock we 
 set off for Apia, Louis, Fanny, Belle, and I, 
 the others being too busy to spare a day for 
 the expedition. The king lives in a very 
 ordinary Samoan house, it being one of the 
 habits of the present advisers of his majesty 
 to spend all the revenue on fine houses and 
 large salaries for themselves, and to do as little 
 as may be for the nominal ruler. The ' Palace,' 
 
i62 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 therefore, is a long oval erection supported on 
 wooden posts ; a double row of trees in the 
 interior reaching to the high roof, and a row 
 round the outside only as high as the over- 
 hanging eaves. Between these outer posts hartg 
 what may be described as Venetian blinds made 
 of coconut leaves, which can be raised or lowered 
 at will. On the occasion of our visit they were 
 kept down at the two ends of the house, where 
 we might have been overlooked from outside ; 
 but at the two sides they were entirely drawn 
 up, letting in ample light and a delicious current 
 of air. The eaves, however, are so low, that 
 we had to stoop a good deal to get in. There 
 was very little furniture of any sort, save a large 
 iron bed at one end, two washstands against the 
 the wall, several wooden chests, and some lamps, 
 etc., on shelves amid the rafters ; but the floor 
 was covered with fine mats, very thick and soft. 
 Of course there were no chairs, and we had to 
 sit on the floor ; but I was close to the bed and 
 leant against it, so that I did not find it too 
 tiring for my elderly back ! 
 
 The queen came out to meet us, but the king 
 awaited ys within, and welcomed us with great 
 dignity ; he was dressed in black trousers, white 
 flannel shirt, black tie, and white shoes with 
 stockings, these the first I have ever seen on 
 any male Samoan. He talked to us through 
 Mrs. W— — , the interpreter, for a few minutes, 
 till the kavq-bowl was carried in by three pretty 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 163 
 
 girls dressed in skirts of tapa, with bright- 
 coloured low bodices, and wreaths on their 
 heads and round their necks. They came round 
 and shook hands with us all, and then seated 
 themselves behind the bowl at the far end of 
 the room, and one of them began to strain the 
 kava through the bunch of loose fibres that 
 is always used for this purpose. After doing 
 it two or three times, she tossed the bunch out- 
 side to some one waiting there to catch it, who 
 shook it out thoroughly and threw it back again, 
 and this was repeated several times. Then a 
 ' talking-man,' dressed in dark blue, came in and 
 took his place beside the bowl ; he called out 
 the king's name and title, and filling a cup by 
 squeezing the kava from the fibres, he handed 
 it to his majesty, who bowed to us and drank 
 it off. Then followed a discussion as to which 
 Tamaitai (high-born lady) should be helped 
 
 first ; our friend Mrs. W thought that 
 
 Tusitala's wife should come before his mother, 
 but the king preferred the old-fashioned and 
 uncivilised custom of honouring old age, so the 
 Tamaitai matua (elderly lady) was given the 
 precedence, and the cup handed to me. Then 
 it was taken to Tusitala, then to the queen, then 
 
 to Mrs. W , who acted as interpreter, then to 
 
 Fanny, and finally to Belle. The girls, or maids- 
 in-waiting, handed the cup to all but the king ; 
 the ' talking-man ' only filling it and calling out 
 the names for all the lesser folks. 
 
1 64 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 The tiava-drinking finished, we adjourned to 
 another house about the same size close by, 
 where the feast had been prepared. The king 
 led me across, taking me by the arm, and 
 seated me on his right hand, placing Fanny 
 on his left, the ' table ' being represented by 
 banana-leaves spread on the floor. It was a 
 most excellent and abundant meal ; fine roast- 
 pig with the invariable mitt sauce, a great many 
 ducks and chickens and pigeons, several kinds 
 of fish and delicious shell-fish, baked yams and 
 taro in heaps, and that very good taro pudding 
 that I learned to like so much at Tautira. 1 We 
 enjoyed it all, and ate as much as we could, 
 and I think the king and queen only regretted 
 there were not more of us ; they had expected 
 us to bring friends with us, as we had spoken 
 of some arriving by the steamer, and certainly 
 there was food enough for a much larger party. 
 And if we did not seize on the remains of the 
 feast to carry off with us, let me tell you that 
 the queen did it for us ! Moreover, when I saw 
 her packing a beautifully made basket with two 
 legs of the pig, two ducks, three chickens, some 
 pigeons, yams, and taro, the taro shape, and 
 several kinds of fruit, and despatching it ahead 
 of us to Vailima by a boy, I felt there was some- 
 thing after all to be said for the Samoan way 
 of ' giving a dinner-party ' ! 
 
 Louis was very anxious to have a quiet talk 
 
 1 From Saranac to the Marquesas. Methuen and Co. 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 165 
 
 with the king to explain to him our proposed 
 visit to Mataafa, and to point out to him the 
 great benefit it would be to the country if the 
 two claimants could come to some peaceful 
 agreement together. He asked, through Mrs. 
 
 W , for an interview for this purpose; and 
 
 his majesty at once arranged to meet him at 
 
 Mrs. W 's house at 8 a.m. yesterday mornings 
 
 Louis of course went at the appointed hour, but 
 
 found no one but Mr. , the missionary, who 
 
 was to act as interpreter ; after a considerable 
 time the queen arrived with a message that a 
 government meeting had been called, which the 
 king was obliged to attend, but that he would 
 come that evening at seven o'clock. Again 
 
 Louis and Mr. were punctually on the 
 
 spot, but — no king ; they waited an hour and 
 a half, but as he never appeared, we suppose 
 that the ' Powers ' would not allow him to come. 
 Of course Louis can do no more, and now it 
 remains to be seen whether anything better may 
 result from his visit to Mataafa. 
 
 May 7. 
 
 LET me do the king — and even the ' Powers ' 
 > — a tardy justice ; it seems there was 
 much government business on hand, and Malie- 
 toa had to receive some of the officials in the 
 evening and provide the inevitable &ava-dr'mk- 
 ing. Being a ceremonial of state, it cannot be 
 omitted without offence ; so he was not free till 
 
i66 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 nine o'clock, when he did start for Mrs. W 's, 
 
 but of course only got there to find Lou gone. 
 It is vexing that she never sent us word, as 
 Louis would have tried again to see him, if he 
 had only known this. 
 
 The expedition to Mataafa's court at Mali6 
 went off very well. Louis, Fanny, and Belle 
 started at 6 a.m. on horseback ; Lou had to ride 
 one of the cart-horses, and he was certainly a 
 remarkable figure with a sort of bolster con- 
 taining spare clothes across the saddle in front 
 of him. It did not look like a suitable get-up 
 for a ceremonious visit to even a dethroned 
 monarch! However, at Apia they transferred 
 themselves to a boat belonging to the Roman 
 Catholic Mission, which took them to Malie, 
 a pretty village close to the sea, which reminded 
 Lou much of Tautira in Tahiti. There are 
 some fine Samoan houses in it, and Mataafa 
 lives in a very large and handsome one, with 
 guards set about it, and many other signs of 
 royalty. They tell me that he is a splendid- 
 looking man, with much more intellect and force 
 of character than Malietoa, and in fact they all 
 lost their hearts to ' Charlie ower the water.' 
 He welcomed them most heartily, and drank 
 kava with them as soon as they arrived. The 
 ' talking-man ' was very old and indistinct, and 
 Louis could not follow all that he said, but to 
 give you some idea of his flights of oratory, he 
 was not satisfied by describing Tusitala as ' the 
 
MATA-AFA 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 167 
 
 chief of the three Powers,' but actually likened 
 him to our Lord, because he had ' come to save 
 them ' ! 
 
 After the fcava-drinking a preparation of arrow- 
 root was offered to them, and then, a curtain 
 having been drawn across one end of the house, 
 Mataafa suggested that they would like to rest 
 for a while ; which they were only too thankful 
 to do, and fell asleep, they say, as soon as they 
 lay down. When they awoke, the feast was 
 ready, laid out on banana-leaves in the usual 
 manner, and was most excellent. Lou told me 
 that the king's people were evidently puzzled 
 by Fanny and Belle, and apparently concluded 
 that he had two wives ; so in order to prevent 
 any jealousy between them, they were helped 
 simultaneously to kava in bowls exactly alike, 
 and were throughout the feast put carefully on 
 the same footing, given the same food, and 
 served at the same moment ! After that I must 
 add the Samoan designation for a wife : the 
 'back of the house.' A modest honour truly — 
 unless they mean the ha.ck.-bone ! Before leaving 
 Louis was presented with two fowls, twenty taro 
 roots, and a large root of kava, which we have 
 since divided and planted ; this is a sort of ' gift 
 of honour,' as it is so much prized. The only 
 drawback, in fact, to an otherwise delightful 
 visit was the absence of a proper interpreter, 
 which deeply disappointed Louis by preventing 
 the talk about politics, for which he was so 
 
1 68 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 anxious. They left about 6 p.m., and rowed 
 back to Apia by a lovely moonlight, staying 
 all night in town, and returning home next 
 day. 
 
 May 15. 
 
 LOUIS has been again to Malie to have his 
 4 longed-for political interview with Mata- 
 
 afa. This time he took C T with him 
 
 as interpreter ; and as it is not more than ten 
 miles, they rode instead of going by water. It 
 is, however, rather a troublesome journey, as 
 every village erects stone barriers or walls across 
 the path to keep their pigs from straying ; there 
 are eight of these between Vailima and Malie, 
 and as they are fully three feet high, they form 
 quite a respectable obstacle. Fortunately Louis 
 was riding Fanny's young horse, which is a 
 capital jumper, and was not a bit put out by a 
 little extra exercise. They got a curious proof, 
 however, of the uselessness of these elaborate 
 barriers, as at one place they had to wait until 
 a pig had finished climbing over, and though he 
 was slow, he seemed to do it with much less 
 effort than either a man or a horse ! 
 
 The interview with Mataafa was interesting, 
 and entirely satisfactory ; he was fully alive to 
 the importance of coming to a peaceful settle- 
 ment of the Samoan difficulty, and was quite 
 ready to meet with Malietoa and discuss things 
 with him in a friendly way. He was also deeply 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 169 
 
 grateful to Louis for his desire to help him and 
 his people to a lasting peace ; and turning to 
 his councillors, he called on them to look care- 
 fully at Tusitala's face, that they would be sure 
 to remember him and never to forget that he 
 had braved the elements and the chance of 
 deportation from the island to do them a kind- 
 ness. If ever, he added, they had a chance to 
 do him a service, they were to do it at any cost 
 to themselves. ... It was indeed true that he 
 had 'braved the elements,' for it began to rain 
 heavily almost as soon as Louis left home, and 
 he was soaked through long before he ever 
 reached Malie. You can imagine how terribly 
 anxious Fanny and I were ; we made sure that 
 he would be taken ill, and would not be able to 
 come home. Can you realise, then, what we 
 felt when back he came in the morning, tired 
 certainly, but not a whit the worse! So much 
 for the effects of the Samoan climate. . . . 
 
 Last week was quite a gay one with people 
 calling and coming to lunch. When they come 
 at eleven and stay till four, I think we may 
 conclude that they enjoy themselves ; and so do 
 we, though it is a little tiring. On Wednesday 
 evening Louis, Belle, and Lloyd went to the 
 club meeting ; it was as successful as ever, and 
 was held this time at Moto-otua Gardens, a kind 
 of country inn halfway between Vailima and 
 Apia, which they had all to themselves, as no 
 one goes there o' nights. Another event was the 
 
170 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 departure of Mary, our English maid, who went 
 back to New Zealand. She had been here for 
 a year, and I think was sorry to leave us ; but 
 I did not wonder at her desire to go, as it was 
 a very lonely life for her, and she could seldom 
 get down to Apia. I shall miss her greatly, as 
 she was really pleasant and nice in every way ; 
 and it was such a comfort to have one servant 
 that understood what I said. Indeed our house 
 servants have been rather a trouble of late. 
 Lauilo, our clever pantry-boy, had to be sent 
 away for disobedience and untruthfulness ; and 
 this was a source of real regret to us, as we had 
 thought so well of him. We are now trying in 
 his place one of the outside boys, Sim6, whose 
 health broke down lately and who is no longer 
 fit for anything but light work, poor fellow, 
 having had a severe attack of haemorrhage from 
 the lungs. He is willing and anxious to do his 
 best, but awkward in the extreme and a terrible 
 'breaker.' Arick, the black boy, is the other 
 table attendant ; I wish you could see the pair, 
 standing like statues at either end of the side- 
 board, but ready to jump at the merest sign. 
 Their dress varies according to the time of day, 
 but at breakfast Sime is just now wearing a dark 
 lava-lava with a long flannel nightgown of Lou's 
 on the top of it ; while Arick has a pink and 
 white striped flannel jacket over his tight red 
 ' petticoat ' ! I wonder, by the way, if you re- 
 member Lou's writing home to me that the 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 171 
 
 Butaritari men carried a ' bunch of salad ' in their 
 ears ? I never quite understood how that could 
 be till I saw Arick; he has the outer edge of 
 one ear slit and separated from the rest almost 
 for the entire length, and it hangs down like a 
 huge earring. He could carry quite a bundle 
 of things in it if they were properly packed. 
 
 Besides these two, we have a young brother 
 of Talolo's, at present taken on trial to see if 
 anything can be made of him. He seems a 
 bright nice boy, and as he does my room since 
 Mary left, I am thankful to find him teachable. 
 I only wish he could speak English. By the 
 bye, when they do learn to do so, the natives 
 are very funny over the genders of things. 
 Lafaele came to Fanny one day and told her 
 that her horse was going to have a calf; so, 
 after a little lecture on grammar, she explained 
 to him that a lady-horse was called a mare. 
 Shortly after that two of our pigs had litters, 
 and Lafaele and Helena each begged to have 
 one of the little ones for their very own. When 
 Fanny agreed, Lafaele added, ' My pig a man- 
 pig, more better give Helena a mare-pig\ ' Still 
 more lately he asked leave to go to Tonga to see 
 his son. As he could not well be spared, Fanny 
 suggested that the boy might come here; and 
 presently Lafaele appeared with a girl about 
 twelve. ' Who is that, Lafaele ? ' we inquired ; 
 and the answer was, ' Oh, that my son ! ' 
 
 You may imagine how civilised we are in 
 
172 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 Samoa when I tell you that we have a strike 
 going on just now. It began by the government 
 and the merchants determining to banish Chile 
 money from the Islands, and refusing to give a 
 fair equivalent for the dollars that the natives 
 had saved up by hard work. The result was 
 that the work-people all struck to enforce their 
 demand that American dollars shall be paid 
 henceforth instead of Chilian ones ; and that 
 such money as they still have shall be exchanged 
 at the same rate. I don't know how it will end. 
 Louis was quite willing to pay our men extra, 
 but they went off while he was at Malid, and left 
 us thanking our stars that the cacao-planting is 
 nearly over, so that we can get on without them. 
 There are now 7766 cacao plants out, which is 
 pretty well for a single season's work. By the 
 way, the dear home flowers will not all do with 
 us here. Mignonette is quite a failure, I am 
 sorry to say; sunflowers do well, and perhaps 
 balsams and zinnias best of all that you sent. 
 Just now the Frangipani is delightfully sweet, 
 and covered with bloom ; and the Cape goose- 
 berries are bearing well. They really make a 
 very good substitute for the home fruit in tarts. 
 
 May 24. 
 
 I WENT to church on Sunday evening (the 
 loss of my poor horse makes this a much 
 rarer pleasure than it used to be), and next day 
 went for a delightful ride with Mrs. C 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 173 
 
 through the German coconut plantations. I 
 
 rode Mr. C 's horse, and it cantered like the 
 
 wind ; I felt as if I were fifteen again instead of 
 being old enough to be a great-grandmother! 
 Once when we were flying along full speed, 
 
 Mrs. C in front and myself following, the 
 
 thought came over me, what would they say at 
 home if they could see me now ! And your faces 
 (in imagination) amused me so much that I 
 laughed till I nearly fell off. As it was, my hat 
 flew away and my hair came down, and I had to 
 
 wait till Mrs. C dismounted and came to 
 
 my help. It was a lovely day, and reminded 
 me of Mentone. Lou says that here in the 
 tropics the colouring is much more brilliant; but 
 at any rate it matched, if not with the reality, 
 at least with my sunny memories of the Riviera. 
 I saw one strange atmospheric effect, by the bye. 
 
 At one place Mrs. C said, ' Is not the sea 
 
 beautiful from here ? ' 
 
 I looked, and looked again, and said, ' I don't 
 see the sea, only a range of blue mountains.' 
 
 ' There are no mountains,' she rejoined. ' You 
 see nothing from here but the ocean.' 
 
 It was long before I could believe it ; the 
 effect was so distinctly that of being piled up to 
 the very heavens, and the illusion of a distant 
 range of mountains so convincing. When at 
 last I began to believe it was only water, I still 
 felt as if it were raised up, and must inevitably 
 come pouring down and overwhelm the land. . . . 
 
174 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 Vailima, June I, 1892. 
 
 WEDNESDAY was club night, and Louis, 
 Belle, and Lloyd went down to Apia 
 for the meeting, and stayed at the hotel all night 
 so as to be ready for the mail-steamer, which was 
 expected to arrive early on Thursday. It had a 
 menagerie on board, and Louis wanted to take 
 all our people to see such a unique sight in the 
 South Seas ; it was, of course, a chance that may 
 never occur again. So all were dressed in their 
 best lava-lavas with wreaths of flowers and 
 leaves, trousers and coats being strictly for- 
 bidden, and set out in quite an imposing pro- 
 cession soon after 7 a.m., leaving Fanny and me 
 alone in our glory to look after ourselves for the 
 day. Unfortunately, the rain came down in 
 torrents soon after they started, and continued 
 most of the day ; and to make matters worse, 
 the steamer did not arrive till late at night. 
 Long before that time our poor people had come 
 home, tired, draggled, and sorely disappointed ; 
 and the day that had promised to be so fine a 
 holiday ended in a disastrous failure. 
 
 Louis and the others did not return, as they 
 were going to a fono, or festival, at Malie on the 
 Friday, and it was easier to start from Apia. I 
 could not quite make up my mind whether to go 
 with them or to stay at home ; I feared it would 
 be too tiring for me, and yet I wanted so much 
 to see the. fono, that, in true British style, I finally 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 175 
 
 let myself be guided by the weather. Friday 
 morning, however, was so fine that I roused the 
 household at five, and announced that I would 
 start in an hour ; which I did not, but I did 
 manage to get off before seven, riding, with an 
 attendant also on horseback, to carry my water- 
 proof bag with a change of clothes. It contained 
 also my very best cap with long streamers, which 
 Belle had implored me to bring for the edifi- 
 cation of Mataafa, and to do justice to the 
 occasion. 
 
 I reached Apia before eight, and found Louis 
 and Belle all ready ; but alas ! they had trusted 
 
 to C T to secure the boat, and he had 
 
 forgotten all about it. At first it seemed as if 
 none were to be had ; and it was fully nine 
 before we got an old tub with no sail and with 
 broken rowlocks, and two very weak and stupid- 
 looking boys to row us. As the boat was a 
 heavy one, and we were six of a party, including 
 
 C T — - — and Tauilo the chiefess, Talolo's 
 
 mother, we regarded our rowers with many mis- 
 givings ; and our premonitions of evil soon 
 proved to be well founded. We had only gone 
 a short way when we saw that we were so late 
 there was a great chance of our missing the tide ; 
 and to do that in our heavy boat meant that we 
 should have to spend at least three hours on the 
 
 reef in the blazing sun. Consequently C T 
 
 proposed that we should stop at a village near 
 by, and borrow canoes, which of course are so 
 
176 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 much lighter, and draw so much less water, that 
 we should be able to get on with much less diffi- 
 culty. It was some time before we could get 
 any canoes, however, but at last two were 
 
 brought out ; C T , Louis, and I got into 
 
 the larger, and took with us my waterproof bag 
 and the two big tins of biscuits we were taking 
 as a present to Mataafa. My bag was arranged 
 as a seat for me ; and Belle says I proved myself 
 a born traveller by the smiling composure with 
 which I sat down right on top of my very best 
 cap. I cannot, however, say much for my com- 
 posure, at least at first ; one has but a ' cogly ' 
 seat in a canoe at best, and perched on my bag 
 I was so high above the low edges of the boat 
 that it was very difficult to balance myself. I 
 confess I held on with both hands till I got 
 a little used to it ; and I felt my feet and legs 
 very superfluous in a vessel where no room was 
 provided for them. Nevertheless, in spite of 
 ' needles-and-pins ' and a cheerful uncertainty as 
 to whether I should not presently find myself in 
 the water, I resigned myself to the situation, and 
 even ended by enjoying it. 
 
 In the meanwhile Belle and Tauilo had pre- 
 ferred to stick to our own boat, now that it was 
 lightened of so much weight, rather than trust 
 themselves to the other canoe, which was a very 
 small one ; and though they still stuck frequently 
 on banks, they always got afloat again, and we 
 stood by to help when needed. It was very 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA ' 177 
 
 slow progress, however, and time was flying ; so 
 at last Louis, Belle, and Tauilo elected to walk 
 the rest of the distance, and left the canoe to 
 
 C T and me. We got to Malie" before 
 
 them, only to find we were so late that we had 
 missed all the war-dances and a great part of the 
 show ; we should have been there by 9.30 had 
 the boat been ordered and ready, but as it was, 
 we, the advance-guard, did not arrive till after 
 one. Was it not provoking? And even as it 
 was, we had the best of it ; for our poor walkers 
 had to wade through three miles of black mud 
 mixed with sharp stones, and I believe would 
 have fairly stuck but for the help of Tauilo, who 
 is an immense and very powerful woman ; and 
 who, when they did emerge, washed their poor 
 feet in a stream as tenderly as if they had been 
 her own babies. 
 
 Meanwhile C T had taken me to 
 
 Mataafa's house, and introduced me to the king, 
 who rose from his mat, and received me with 
 extreme cordiality, and had a chair placed for me 
 where I could get the best view of all that was 
 going on. He is a really fine-looking man with 
 a delightful expression of benignity and great 
 charm of, manner ; I never saw any one in any 
 part of the world more simply courteous and 
 dignified. He is also a very devout Roman 
 Catholic, and it was odd to observe him telling 
 his beads while he watched all that was going 
 on ; the contrast was the more curious, as it was 
 
178 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 by far the most barbarous scene I had come 
 across in Samoa. The green lawn on which the 
 village was built was scattered over with awnings 
 of all kinds : some were contrived from boat- 
 sails, some merely branches of trees stuck into 
 the ground, others, more elaborate, were of light 
 posts tied together and roofed in with a thick 
 layer of coconut leaves. However constructed, 
 they were all full ; every inch of shade was 
 packed with gaily dressed natives ; the houses 
 themselves were crowded, and even the church 
 was made use of. Louis, when he arrived, cal- 
 culated that there were quite seven or eight 
 thousand people present. Here and there upon 
 the grass were great heaps of gifts that had 
 already been presented, and were piled up and 
 left ' on view ' ; while objects that looked like 
 roughly made hat-stands were stuck into the 
 ground at intervals, and used to show off the 
 innumerable smaller presents, such as whisks to 
 keep the flies off, fibre for straining kava, fans of 
 many kinds, and a great number of shining 
 yellow balls that I took to be fruit, but which I 
 found to be small gourds filled with coconut oil. 
 Meantime, while I looked about me, the present- 
 giving was still going on briskly. Each village 
 marched up in procession, every man carrying a 
 gift ; one of the king's men, resplendent in spot- 
 less lava-lava, scarlet flowers, and a shining 
 brown skin, received the things evidently accord- 
 ing to rule and custom. When, for instance, he 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 179 
 
 took each roast-pig in his arms, like a baby, he 
 turned twice round to show it off to the sur- 
 rounding crowds, and made some jocular remarks 
 that I wished I could understand, for every one 
 laughed. His manner reminded me of an 
 auctioneer at home, and I fancy some of his 
 hits were personal, but given and taken in 
 thorough good-nature. . . . And while he was 
 receiving and displaying the gifts, and amusing 
 the people, other king's men were busy making 
 lists of all that was brought in ; one could not 
 but be struck by the mixture of barbarism and 
 careful method of it all, a mixture that in many 
 ways seems to me to be characteristic of 
 Samoans. 
 
 Besides ourselves, only a few of the principal 
 chiefs were admitted to Mataafa's house. 
 Among these was an old ' talking-man ' called 
 Popo, with a face exactly like the well-known 
 head of Dante ; a likeness remarkably heightened 
 by the green wreath which he wore about his 
 brows in the same familiar way. He had come 
 with his son that day, for the first time, to give 
 in his allegiance to Mataafa ; a great matter for 
 the king, as they represent one of the most 
 important families in the Islands, and have the 
 right to bestow on the monarch one of the royal 
 
 names, Tuiatua. According to C T , they 
 
 were very great people indeed, taking precedence 
 of most of the other chiefs ; in fact they were 
 'just like our dukes at home '(!). The son had 
 
i8o LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 brought with him a dear little daughter about 
 three years old, from whom I could not keep my 
 eyes ; her baby dignity was so imperial, and she 
 sat with her little legs crossed and her fingers 
 turned out in exact accordance with all the 
 'high-chief conventions. 
 
 When Louis and the others arrived, coco- 
 nuts were handed round and were very refresh- 
 ing ; and very soon after the kava was brought 
 in with due etiquette and solemnity. When it 
 was offered to Mataafa, there was a startling 
 interlude ; Popo and his son in turn rose and 
 howled out praises of the king in a most extra- 
 ordinary and ear-splitting fashion. It appears 
 that they have a hereditary right to do so, on 
 occasions of state, and they certainly made full 
 use of their privilege. Meanwhile I had time to 
 observe the king's house, which as yet I had not 
 attempted to do. It is very much finer than 
 Malietoa's, much higher in pitch, of better work- 
 manship, and made of more valuable kinds of 
 wood ; and while it contains fewer ordinary 
 articles of civilisation, there is nevertheless a 
 certain appearance of taste and nicety which are 
 in themselves civilised. There was no bed, but 
 there were a good many chairs with very fine 
 mats thrown over them ; and there were two 
 tables on which were flower-glasses very prettily 
 filled with flowers. At one of these we were 
 presently asked to dine along with the king ; we 
 had an excellent meal of very good fish, large 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 181 
 
 crayfish and roast -pig, baked taro, and a mag- 
 nificent pineapple, the best I have ever tasted, 
 so full of juice and flavour. There were plates, 
 and knives and forks, and (wonder of wonders) 
 even salt ; this is very seldom seen at a native 
 feast, but Mataafa had it handed round in a glass 
 bottle, an excellent plan, as it soon gets damp in 
 this climate. No one sat at table with us save 
 the king, and we were most deftly and prettily 
 waited on by his natural daughter, who keeps 
 his house and appears to be his constant personal 
 attendant. Altogether it was a curious mixture 
 of much that is good in both native and white 
 habits, and seemed particularly suited to Mata- 
 afa's own refinement and dignity. But when 
 the meal came to an end, the barbaric note was 
 again suddenly emphasised ; Popo's son emitted 
 another amazing howl in honour of Tuiatua, and 
 the king was evidently deeply gratified. Well, 
 I dare say some of our own ways are quite as 
 senseless ! 
 
 Returning to our posts of observation, we 
 found that the list of presents was now being 
 read aloud. I cannot attempt to give you an 
 idea of the amount, but I remember there were 
 some 6000 roots of taro, 390 roast-pigs, over 
 200 live chickens, 1 live calf, 1 turtle for the 
 king (please note), and a great many pieces of 
 tapa, one of them a hundred yards long. It was 
 curious to see it carried in at full length by over 
 fifty men. No sooner was the reading finished 
 
1 82 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 than the distribution began, by Popo and his son 
 rushing into the open space where the gifts lay 
 and dancing on the top of all the things that 
 they claimed as their share — for you will not 
 have forgotten that at all feasts, and particularly 
 at royal ones, the guests have rights over the 
 edibles. It was a most extraordinary and weird 
 performance, and banished all remains of civilisa- 
 tion from the scene. I was greatly interested to 
 notice that they claimed a large heap of roots 
 and fruits, one of our boxes of biscuits, the live 
 calf, and the long piece of tapa ; but as soon as 
 their rights were proved and acknowledged, they 
 gave all back to the king save the tapa and, I 
 think, the biscuits. I forgot to tell you that when 
 Louis's gift was read out, he was described as 
 ' His Excellency Tusitala, Chief of the Great 
 Powers,' which really sounded most impressive; 
 but by this time I was getting anxious as to 
 what our new dignities demanded of us ! If we 
 had had to ' dance for our supper ' like the 
 amazing Popo, it would have been a ' sight for 
 the gods.' Mercifully, we were not required to 
 put in a claim for our share of the spoils, as 
 Mataafa himself looked after our interests ; and 
 you may imagine that we were surprised and 
 touched to find, included among our gifts, the 
 one turtle that had been especially sent to the 
 king himself. Louis would have refused to 
 take it, had it been possible to do so, but it 
 would have been too great a breach of custom 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 183 
 
 and courtesy. We were given, besides 2 pigs, 
 
 2 baskets of taro, 5 live fowls, a lot of kava, 
 
 3 bunches of bananas, and 4 fine pieces of tapa ; 
 one of which Mataafa especially presented to 
 me. Altogether, we were a queer boatload 
 when we started homewards, and we felt very 
 much as if we belonged to the Swiss Family 
 Robinson. 
 
 We left about 5.30; but our difficulties were 
 not over yet, and we did not reach the hotel 
 till after 9 p.m. It was a very dark night, with 
 several heavy squalls of wind and rain ; some- 
 times the wind was so strong that we could not 
 speak and had to gasp even for breath. When 
 it was fair Belle and Tauilo, and a friend of hers 
 who was returning with us, sang Samoan hymns 
 to keep our spirits up ; and their voices sounded 
 very pretty over the accompanying splash and 
 gurgle of the water. But we were all soaked 
 through by the time we got to the hotel, and 
 thankful to get some clothes that, if not quite 
 dry, were less wet, out of our bags. At first we 
 were told we were too late to get any supper ; 
 but at sight of our dismay they managed to pro- 
 duce bread and cheese, beer and brandy, and 
 with these we had to be content. We were 
 indeed too tired to want more, and were only 
 too glad to hurry off to bed ; it had been a 
 long day for us all, and still longer for me, and 
 fourteen hours of open air and adventure were 
 as much as I could do with. Next morning the 
 
184 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 horses came for us at 9 a.m. ; it was a pouring 
 wet day, and we were still tired, but we so 
 desired to be at home that we donned our wet 
 things again and set off in the midst of thunder 
 and lightning and a general deluge. We were 
 back in time to get dry and comfortable before 
 lunch, and were able to enjoy the turtle steak, 
 which is like the most excellent beefsteak. It 
 took me several days to get rested after my 
 exertions, but neither Louis nor I got the 
 slightest cold or harm of any sort from all the 
 fatigue and the two duckings. Don't you 
 think that says a good deal for Samoa ? 
 
 June 6. 
 
 YESTERDAY Louis and Belle went to 
 some races that were got up in honour of 
 the queen's birthday, but had had to be postponed 
 on account of the weather. From their account 
 the luncheon, nicely served in a large tent, seems 
 to have been the best part of the affair ; there 
 was only one horse that had had any training, 
 and as he simply walked over the course and 
 took all the prizes, the races could not be called 
 exciting. It was a fine day, luckily, and a 
 pleasant outing. To-day we have another storm 
 of wind and rain, thunder and lightning ; we are 
 getting all the ' weather ' now that we should 
 have had months ago, and it really makes the 
 climate too like Scotland ! 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 185 
 
 June 19. 
 
 WE have been amazingly gay ever since 
 I last wrote, but not in a specially 
 interesting way. A new man-of-war, the Curapoa, 
 has come into the bay, and that has led to many 
 calls, lunches, teas, and dinners. I went down 
 with the others to tea on board, and enjoyed it 
 all very much ; and for the first time rode home 
 in the dark, which I have never done before, 
 and am not in a hurry to try again. The road 
 is so bad, and the ' going ; so uneven, that it 
 is rather like being at sea, only one has the 
 added anxiety of being one's own pilot ; I made 
 Lloyd ride close in front, and guided myself as 
 best I could by the glimmer of his white coat. 
 The phosphorescent lights from the decayed 
 wood, however, were lovely, like pale moon- 
 light under the great trees, dimly glimmering in 
 the shadows. 
 
 On Friday Louis gave a family feast to all 
 our people, including a few of their relations, 
 specially invited. The boys took charge of all 
 the preparations, and we partook of the feast 
 as their guests. It took place in one of the 
 new native houses that we have recently put 
 up, the pillars of which were beautifully wreathed 
 with flowers and ferns. The food was spread on 
 leaves in the usual fashion; there was nothing 
 very novel, save that the fine prawns were 
 from our own river, and that to the usual 
 
1 86 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 delicacies were added twenty-five pounds of 
 fresh beef and quantities of ship biscuits, both 
 great luxuries to the Samoans. We were all 
 seated at one end of the 'table,' and just 
 opposite to us were the ' house-ladies,' Helena 
 and Faiima, with Arick between them, most effec- 
 tively decorated with scarlet hibiscus blossoms. 
 The usual &ava-dr'mking took place after the 
 meal, and. the names were called out by a 
 ' talking-man ' belonging to Talolo's family ; for 
 a chief in Samoa never makes a speech himself, 
 but keeps a hereditary 'talking-man' to do it 
 for him. The order was Tusitala, Fanny, ' Old 
 Lady,' Loya (Lloyd), Tuila (Belle), and little 
 Austin. When this was over Louis made them 
 a little speech, telling them how glad he was 
 to see them there, and thanking them for all 
 the good work they had done ; and Helena's 
 father made a very nice reply, full of gratitude for 
 Lou's interest in his people and their customs, 
 * which the white men on the beach know nothing 
 about.' Altogether the family feast went off very 
 well. By the bye, it is quite true that the proper 
 native way of preparing kava is to have the root 
 chewed by young girls chosen for their beauty, 
 then it is steeped in water (but not fermented), 
 and after many strainings it is handed round. 
 But a great many people now grate the root 
 instead of having it chewed. We always have 
 it grated, and when it is given to me elsewhere 
 I just devoutly hope it has been grated, and think 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 187 
 
 it safer to ask no questions. You see one cannot 
 refuse it without giving offence. 
 
 And now I must wind up this long letter with 
 one last exciting episode, which might easily have 
 had a tragic ending. About n p.m. on Saturday 
 night Fanny woke me and told me that Paatalise, 
 one of our boys, had gone off his head, and as 
 he was very violent she had come to get some 
 sheets with which to tie him down. He has 
 always been well behaved and very quiet, and 
 we have lately taken him into the house as an 
 extra hand ; but he comes from Wallis Island, 
 and unfortunately only one of our boys under- 
 stands his language ; and as he is very slow at 
 picking up any other, it is hard to hold any 
 communication with him. We fear that this 
 solitariness has brought on this attack, as his 
 delusion seemed to be that his own people were 
 waiting for him in the bush, and he must go to 
 them ; which, of course, was impossible to allow, 
 as he would only have lost his way and probably 
 died of starvation. It took the united efforts of 
 all the men on the premises to keep the poor 
 fellow from escaping, and even after he had 
 been tied down to the bed with sheets and ropes 
 he managed to get free. Just then Lafaele, who 
 had been out visiting some friends, came home 
 and at once said he could cure him ; he went 
 out and got some leaves, and after repeating 
 some incantations 'to drive away devils,' he 
 chewed them and put some of the juice into 
 
1 88 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 the patient's eyes, ears, and nostrils, half choking 
 him so as to force him to draw it in. Marvellous 
 to relate, in a quarter of an hour the poor boy 
 was in a sort of comatose state, lay very quiet 
 till morning, and when he got up, seemed very 
 much in his usual. 
 
 Louis, however, felt a good deal worried about 
 him. The boy is a stranger here, and there is 
 neither hospital nor asylum to send him to ; and 
 in case of another such attack coming on unex- 
 pectedly, he felt we ought to have some means 
 of securing him, for his own sake. So Lloyd was 
 
 despatched to the Curafoa to see if Dr. H 
 
 could help us ; and as it turned out that he had 
 been doctor in an asylum for two years, he offered 
 to come up and see the patient, besides sending 
 us a strait-jacket. He arrived a little later, with 
 two other officers with him, and they all stayed 
 to dinner ; after which Paatalise was profession- 
 ally inspected. Dr. H thinks he may never 
 
 have another attack, but quite agrees that we 
 ought to be prepared for any possibility ; he 
 ordered some medicine for him, rather under 
 difficulties, as the visit had to be conducted in 
 an unusual fashion, viz. Paatalise spoke to Savea, 
 who translated it into Samoan to Lafaele, who 
 translated it into pidgin English to Fanny, who 
 finally conveyed as much of the meaning as still 
 survived to the doctor. Rather a roundabout 
 conversation, wasn't it ? 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 189 
 
 Vailima, June 26, 1892. 
 
 AFTER the excitements of last month, this 
 1\. week has been comparatively quiet, and 
 I have not been sorry to 'rest and be thankful.' 
 In the absence of news, therefore, I am going 
 to answer a question of yours that I think I 
 overlooked. No, we have no snakes here ; and 
 not many poisonous or dangerous creatures of 
 any kind. True, there is one kind of centipede, 
 I believe ; but I have never seen one, and no 
 one here has been bitten, so I imagine they 
 cannot be very common. On the whole, our 
 plagues may be said to be small ones, flies and 
 mosquitoes being about the worst ; while a worm 
 that destroys furniture, and the mason-fly that 
 gets into books and papers, are nearly as bad. 
 The ants have not as yet discovered Vailima, 
 or so we suppose ; at any rate, we are not 
 troubled with them, which is a comfort, as they 
 are a terrible nuisance in a house. Lastly, there 
 is a tiny, almost invisible creature that makes its 
 way into the most carefully closed boxes, and 
 inside pincushions, working havoc wherever it 
 goes ; and it can even get inside a watch and 
 clog the mainspring, as I and my repeater know 
 by sad experience. 
 
 Paatalise, I am glad to say, has had no return 
 of his attack of mania, and looks quite himself 
 again. He and Mitaele, Talolo's young brother, 
 are our table-boys now ; they are very good and 
 
190 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 attentive, and at present so satisfactory in every 
 way that Lloyd calls them the 'twin angels.' 
 He says they recall some Scripture characters, 
 but is not quite clear which; Shadrach and 
 Meshach, perhaps, though in that case there 
 must be an Abednego still undiscovered to com- 
 plete the set, unless that one has been broken ! 
 . . . There is one great trial here, from which 
 every one suffers at times ; no sooner have one's 
 servants learned their work and put by a little 
 money, than an inevitable restlessness comes over 
 them, and they must be off on a malanga, or 
 journey. It may be only a sort of pleasure- 
 trip, from which they presently return ; but quite 
 as often they remove entirely and settle down 
 somewhere else, until the desire for a malanga 
 comes over them again. We have just parted 
 in this way with ' Tomassie,' our handsome Fijian 
 boy, and Helena, his wife ; they have gone to 
 Tonga, and there is no saying whether or not 
 they will return. Meanwhile in Helena we have 
 lost our washerwoman, and have now to send 
 all the clothes down to Apia, a plan which suits 
 fairly well in the dry season, but would be 
 impossible in the wet. Before that time, how- 
 ever, we may have seen our way to some other 
 arrangement. 
 
 I am not sure if I told you that I have a new 
 horse, and am so glad to feel myself independent 
 
 again. Mr. C bought himself a stronger 
 
 and faster beast for his heavy work, and was 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 191 
 
 only too glad to find a purchaser for his old 
 one, Pacha ; and as he is the one they have 
 often (since Tin Jack's death) sent up to take 
 me down to church, I know him well and can 
 vouch for his behaviour. Indeed, he is so quiet 
 and gentle that little Austin can be trusted to 
 ride him alone, and it will sometimes be con- 
 venient to send him on messages into town. 
 A horse here is really something more than a 
 luxury, as without one it is impossible to get 
 about ; so that, ever since my poor Tin Jack 
 died, I have felt dreadfully helpless. 
 
 The second $th July 1892. 
 
 SURELY now I have been round the world, 
 since at last I have done that to which I 
 used to look forward, I have 'gained a day.' It 
 seems that all this time we have been counting 
 wrong, because in former days communication 
 was entirely with Australia, and it was simpler 
 and in every way more natural to follow the 
 Australian calendar ; but now that so many 
 vessels come from San Francisco, the powers 
 that be have decided to set this right, and to 
 adopt the date that belongs to our actual 
 geographical position. To this end, therefore, 
 we are ordered to keep two Mondays in this 
 week, which will get us straight. 
 
 I have had a busy and happy time since my 
 last instalment. When I went to church on the 
 26th, Mrs. C told me that I was invited to go 
 
192 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 with her to the Mission stations at Malua and 
 Leulumoenga ; we were to start on the following 
 Thursday, and would be away for a week or ten 
 days. I was greatly delighted ; for, as you know, 
 this expedition, which I had so long desired, had 
 already been more than once put off, and I had 
 begun to fear I should never compass it. How- 
 ever, the day came, and very quickly ; and I set 
 off from Vailima at 7.45 a.m., Arick riding with 
 me to carry my portmanteau. We left Apia 
 about nine in the Mission boat, a party of five ; 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. C , their little son and his 
 
 nurse, and myself. It is a large and delightfully 
 comfortable boat, with an awning to keep off 
 sun and rain ; there were twelve rowers, a steers- 
 man, and a ' monitor ' to keep order, and the 
 boys sang together very sweetly for a great part 
 of the way. The coast, as we passed along it, 
 was varied and exceedingly beautiful ; there was 
 a succession of lovely green bays, with thatched 
 houses peeping out from among the coconut and 
 bread-fruit trees, separated from each other by 
 thickly wooded headlands. 
 
 We reached Malua in about two hours, and 
 were most warmly welcomed by Mr. and Mrs. 
 
 M , who were to be our hosts ; as well as by 
 
 the two ladies who are soon to manage the girls' 
 school at Papauta, not far from Vailima. Till 
 the house is ready there they are living at 
 Malua, with nine Samoan girls, who will form 
 the nucleus of the new school. Malua is charm- 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 193 
 
 ingly situated; the two white-washed and 
 thatched Mission-houses are at a short distance 
 from each other, on a green lawn, which slopes 
 down to the sea, and is dotted over with very 
 fine coconut, bread-fruit, mango, tamarind, 
 orange, and lemon trees. The University 
 buildings are a little behind, and to one side 
 of the Mission-houses; we visited them, and 
 the quiet, pretty graveyard, after dinner, and 
 
 Mr. M gave me a most interesting account 
 
 and explanation of everything. I don't mean, 
 however, to tell you about the students, inter- 
 esting as they are, for I am sending a full 
 
 account for Mr. N , which you can read 
 
 before sending it on to him. 1 
 
 On Friday morning we rode ' round the 
 boundaries,' which means round the three hun- 
 dred acres of land which belong to the institu- 
 tion, and which the students cultivate to supply 
 them with food. It took us quite an hour to 
 make, the circuit, and I am sure we saw enough 
 bananas and bread-fruit to feed a regiment ; they 
 represent an enormous amount of nourishment, 
 
 when well cared for, especially as Mr. M 
 
 says that bananas alone, without any other article 
 of food, will amply support a strong, powerful 
 man. In the afternoon we walked about the 
 grounds and inspected a limekiln that the 
 students had made to burn lime from coral 
 picked up on the reef. On Saturday morning 
 
 1 See extract at end of letter, 
 
194 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 we went for a long ride, through a magnificent 
 forest, and across a deep river, which was not very 
 easy to ford ; we had to hold up skirts and feet 
 to keep them above water, but the horses are 
 quite used to such little diversions. In the 
 afternoon we went to a prayer-meeting with all 
 the students ; and when we came back to the 
 house after it, I was informed that the students' 
 wives were coming to bring me a taro-tasi, or 
 gift. Presently a number of women, all dressed 
 in white, came along the path, singing as they 
 came ; I had been told that they generally im- 
 provise their songs, and was able to make out 
 that they were singing about the tamaitai 
 Beritand, the ' British high-born lady.' I stood 
 on the verandah to receive them, and each 
 woman as she came up shook hands with me, 
 and presented her gift. They gave me in this 
 way eleven fans, three tortoise-shell rings, and 
 thirteen eggs ; then they all sat down on the 
 grass, and the principal, or highest-born woman 
 among them, made a speech, saying how glad 
 they were to welcome me to Malua, and how 
 
 grateful for my interest in them. Mrs. M 
 
 translated it to me, while I sat in the verandah 
 with my gifts (all save the eggs) piled in my 
 lap ; then I said a few halting words of thanks 
 in reply, and regretted more than ever that I 
 was born so long before the days when women 
 were expected, or indeed permitted, to speak in 
 public. When this was over, Mrs. C 's boy 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 195 
 
 (who had come with her from Apia) acted as 
 my • talking-man,' and came forward and shouted 
 out the list of all my gifts, just as they had done 
 with Mataafa's at Malik It made me feel 
 'every inch a (Samoan) king' — or queen, to 
 be more exact. 
 
 It was all very nice, and I was very happy; 
 but every rose has its thorns. The trade wind 
 
 blows right through the M s' house at Malua, 
 
 and I not only felt it disagreeably cold, but got a 
 rather bad attack of neuralgia and a swollen 
 face in consequence. This was vexing, as, though 
 I was able on Sunday morning to go to church, 
 and to join in the Communion with the students 
 and their wives, I had to spend most of the 
 afternoon in bed, instead of accompanying Mr. 
 M— — in his boat to another village a few miles 
 away, as I had hoped to do. However, it could 
 not be helped, and on Monday morning I felt 
 better, and was in less pain. 
 
 In the forenoon the nine girls who, with their 
 teachers, are waiting here till the new school at 
 Papauta is ready for them, brought me in their 
 turn a taro-tasi; which, by the way, literally means 
 ' one taro,' but is applied to a small gift of any 
 sort, a root of taro being a very usual present, 
 especially from school-children to their teachers. 
 The girls came singing in the same fashion as 
 their elders, and indeed all the proper ceremonies 
 were observed; they presented me with two pieces 
 of tapa, five fans, and two tortoise-shell rings, all 
 
196 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 of which were duly called out by my 'talking-man.' 
 I was struck, as I always am, by the easy speech 
 and graceful manners of these half-grown and 
 very shy Samoan girls ; some of them were very 
 pretty, and all were gentle and polite. Their 
 movements, too, are so full of natural grace. 
 This was very evident this morning, when for 
 some time I watched some women fishing in the 
 sea ; literally in it, for they stood in the water in 
 a ring, to enclose the fish, then caught them with 
 their hands, and tossed the silvery creatures into 
 the baskets tied upon their backs. They seemed 
 to me to be as lithe and supple as the wriggling 
 fish themselves, and I watched the pretty sight, 
 thinking that, easy as it looked, the fish must be 
 very plentiful to make it possible. I do not know 
 what kind of fish they caught this way, but we 
 had some for dinner, and they were excellent, 
 small, but well flavoured. 
 
 On Monday afternoon Mrs. C — - — and I 
 (her husband had had to return to Apia for the 
 Sunday services, but would meet us later) 
 said good-bye to our kind friends at Malua, 
 and started on horseback for the Mission station 
 at Leulumoenga, which we reached in about an 
 hour. It was delightful to canter along the 
 lovely shady road, overhung by coconut and 
 bread-fruit trees, wjth the sea shining between 
 their stems on the one side, and dense bush, 
 occasionally topped by a mountain-peak, upon 
 the other. The path was good, but in places 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 197 
 
 rather blocked by trees, which necessitated care 
 in riding ; though it was quite an enjoyable 
 sensation to put one's head down and dash 
 through swaying coconut fronds, feeling oneself 
 absolutely wrapped for a moment in the cool 
 fresh greenery. We passed through several 
 villages, for this is a populous district ; and 
 though one is very like another, this is scarcely 
 a disadvantage where all are beautiful. The 
 fresh green lawns on which they stand, thickly 
 set in foliage and studded with fine trees, are 
 like the glades of some lovely park ; and as 
 many of them open on the sea, there is a wonder- 
 ful effect of light and air. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. H are our hosts at Leu- 
 
 lumoenga ; the house is very similar in appear- 
 ance and situation to the Malua Mission, but it 
 is not so much exposed to the wind, and so is 
 less draughty. We met with the same kind 
 welcome as before, and I felt all the time as if 
 I were paying visits to Scottish manses ; there 
 was the same feeling of being at home, and 
 amidst familiar surroundings. There is the 
 High School here, for advanced scholars, where 
 boys who do not wish to go into the Church 
 receive a more secular training than at Malua ; 
 and to-morrow there is to be a special examina- 
 tion, with a display of industrial work done by 
 the boys, which in fact is the reason we are here 
 
 just now. In the meantime Mrs. C and I 
 
 have been off for another lovely ride, with her 
 
1 98 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 ' boy ' to help us over stiles ; for you must 
 understand these stiles are not, as with us at 
 home, mere rustic fences, but formidable barriers 
 at least three feet in height. Their object 
 (which they don't achieve) is to keep the pigs 
 of each village from wandering, and all Samoan 
 horses are trained to jump them ; but I may as 
 well confess that I prefer to dismount and do my 
 own scramble on my own two feet, while my 
 horse jumps over, without me, on his four! I 
 am sure it is more comfortable . . . for both of 
 us ! but of course it is as well to have some one 
 at hand to help with this performance. 
 
 As we passed through one village we saw a 
 number of persons in one house, very busy 
 printing patterns on tapa. We stopped and 
 watched them with great interest ; they just 
 strengthened all the thin parts by putting on 
 patches, so to speak, or sometimes a complete 
 second layer, fastening the two together by 
 means of arrowroot starch. After this they 
 stretched the tapa over blocks on which the 
 pattern is already prepared in relief, and passed 
 a brush filled with colour over the top, so that 
 the raised part only takes it, while the ground 
 remains white. It seemed a very simple pro- 
 cess, and the results obtained are surprisingly 
 good. A little later a shower forced us to take 
 shelter in a house, where we found a woman 
 making a design for printing the tapa ; she was 
 sewing it with coconut fibre on a thick dried 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 199 
 
 leaf, which, when it is ready, will be attached to 
 the wooden block which I mentioned above. 
 The pattern was very pretty and quite elaborate, 
 
 and Mrs. C asked the woman where she had 
 
 got it from ; to which she replied that 'it was 
 just the great cleverness in her own head ' that 
 told her how to do it. Here we also had an 
 example of Samoan manners ; a little boy was 
 standing by and gazing at us, and his mother 
 asked him how he dared to stand in the presence 
 of these particularly high-horn ladies ? . . . 
 sitting and crouching being the sign of reverence 
 and respect here, as all over the South Seas,- I* 1 
 the native churches they sit, both for prayer 
 and praise, and to stand up during the service 
 would seem to them most irreverent. 
 
 July 7- 
 
 I HAD no time to write more, and only 
 returned home to-day ; but I will continue 
 from where I left off, at Leulumoenga. 
 
 In the evening, after our long ride, we were 
 all busy getting the prizes ready for next day ; 
 measuring off pieces of print, and putting up 
 little packages of needles and thread, thimbles 
 and scissors, for the women and girls, while the 
 boys got books, atlases, knives, and tools of 
 various kinds. There were a great many prizes, 
 though some were very small ; and it took us the 
 whole evening to get all ready. Gn Tuesday 
 morning the stir began early ; we had breakfast 
 
200 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 at seven, then prayers, and then we all set to 
 work to lay the cloth and make the preparations 
 for dinner. It reminded me, almost sadly, of a 
 Communion season at Colinton, long, long ago ; 
 I felt that if I only took the trouble to look, I 
 
 should certainly find Mrs. R shelling peas 
 
 in some quiet corner. . . . The bustle was in- 
 creased presently by the arrival of our friends 
 from Malua in their boat, just in time for a 
 second breakfast ; and almost before we had had 
 
 time to welcome them, Mrs. C and I were 
 
 despatched to the schoolhouse, to decide on the 
 winners of the prizes for ironing. We selected a 
 shirt, a coat, and a dress, and found later that all 
 had been done by the same person, the wife of 
 the native teacher ; so she may be said to have 
 thoroughly deserved her prize, though I think 
 she only got the first, and the others went to the 
 next — but a good way behind — in merit. By 
 this time the Malua students, who had walked 
 over, had arrived, and the business of the day 
 began. The Mission party sat on seats placed 
 on the school verandah, the scholars sat on the 
 grass in front of us, and behind them an awning 
 of poles and coconut leaves had been put up for 
 the many native visitors and friends. 
 
 After a hymn had been sung, there was a 
 
 prayer by Mr. C , and an address to the 
 
 scholars by Mr. M from Malua. Then the 
 
 boys sang 'Three blind Mice' and other simple 
 songs in English, keeping excellent time and 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 201 
 
 tune ; and gave a display of their powers first in 
 mental arithmetic, afterwards in physical drill, 
 all conducted in English and most smartly and 
 creditably gone through. As 'the Mother of 
 Tusitala ' I presented the prizes ; and the pro- 
 ceedings wound up with the singing of ' God 
 save the Queen,' when we stood up and joined 
 in with that momentary but inevitable heart- 
 sickness that the dear familiar words bring to all 
 of us here, so far from home. In such strange 
 surroundings it touched me very much ; but I 
 could not help wondering what the Samoans 
 think of us for standing to do honour to the 
 ' Great White Queen.' 
 
 After this we adjourned to the schoolroom, to 
 inspect the things made by the scholars, such as 
 models of canoes, kava bowls, and coconut cups, 
 pieces of tapa and pattern blocks for printing it, 
 native pillows, carved handles for axes, mats, 
 and many other things. There was some talk 
 of selling them, and I meant to buy some ; but 
 when the boys themselves were consulted, 
 they said they wished to send them ' home ' to 
 the friends in England who had provided the 
 school with a bell. It was, however, settled, 
 quite to their satisfaction, that I was to choose 
 any of the things that I liked, and in return send 
 the boys that greatest of delights to a Samoan, 
 a box of biscuits. So I have got a few things, 
 and hope soon to have enough to fill a box that I 
 shall send home vi& Australia. . . . After dinner 
 
202 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 we all said good-bye, and at 2.30 the three boats 
 started on the return voyage ; we had much 
 singing by the way, and having dropped our 
 good friends at Malua, we came quietly on and 
 reached Apia at 6.30 in lovely moonlight. The 
 trade-wind was against us coming back, so our 
 twelve oarsmen had to row all the way ; but as 
 we were inside the reef, the water was perfectly 
 smooth and we travelled fairly quickly. I have 
 come home greatly delighted with my malanga, 
 and, I think, the better of it ; and I shall never 
 forget all that I have seen, and the kindness 
 that was so constantly shown me. 
 
 July 9. 
 
 WE are having our • cold ' season now, and 
 the thermometer is as low as 64 at 6 a.m.; 
 it feels almost as cold as a frosty morning at home. 
 Meat keeps quite well for a night just now, 
 and we often have nice tender beef and mutton ; 
 a thing scarcely to be achieved in hot weather, 
 when it must be eaten as soon as killed. This 
 is really a temperate climate, however, as all 
 through the hot season the thermometer never 
 rose above 86° on the verandah, and 64 is the 
 lowest that I have yet observed. What about 
 the variation at home?! Nor do I miss the 
 long home summer evenings now, as I have 
 ceased to care for evening walks, and that was 
 the only great pleasure connected with them. 
 I think the loss of them is more than made up 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 203 
 
 by the absence of the short and glopmy days of 
 winter ; but as Lou says, life is all a pair of 
 scales, and there 's a deal of compensation goes 
 to make up the balance. 
 
 [Extracted, by permission, from letter written 
 to the Rev. Dr. Nicol, then of the Tolbooth, 
 Edinburgh, and Editor of the Church of Scot- 
 land Mission Record, in which paper it was 
 published in October 1892.] 
 
 . . . The two pretty Mission-houses are usually 
 occupied by two English missionaries, who are 
 the professors of this ' South Sea university 
 city,' as Malua may be called. At present Mr. 
 Newall is in England on furlough, so that the 
 whole burden falls on Mr. Marriott, and you may 
 fancy that it is by no means a light one when I 
 tell you that, besides being minister and pro- 
 fessor, he is doctor also to the whole establish- 
 ment. The talavai (dispensary) bell rings twice 
 a day, when the patients come up and receive 
 advice and medicine from the window of the 
 little dispensary ; but besides that, special cases 
 seem to be dropping in at all hours of the day. 
 The university buildings proper are situated a 
 little behind the Mission-houses ; they are built 
 in an oblong, the centre of which is planted with 
 coconut and bread-fruit trees ; there are nine 
 white-washed and thatched houses on each side 
 of this parallelogram, and at the end farthest 
 
204 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 from the sea there are three larger buildings. 
 The central one, which is largest of all, is used 
 as church and lecture-hall, and the smaller ones 
 are occupied by monitors, of whom there are 
 four, to look after the students, and see that they 
 keep the laws. Each of the smaller houses 
 accommodates three unmarried students ; it is 
 divided into three by screens made of reeds, and 
 each little compartment contains a bed, chair, a 
 table, a bench for books, and a window, and 
 they look most comfortable little places. Fifty 
 of the students are married, and for their use 
 there is an outer row of Samoan houses, which 
 consist of wooden posts to support a thatched 
 roof, the sides being formed of a sort of Venetian 
 blinds made of plaited coconut leaves, that may 
 be let up and down at pleasure. One end of the 
 house has a raised floor of wooden boards, which 
 forms the bedroom, and the lower part is the 
 sitting-room. Each married couple has a sepa- 
 rate Samoan house. 
 
 There are at present in the institution 105 
 students, 50 wives, and 23 boy-boarders, who 
 assist in the work, get a certain amount of educa- 
 tion, and may or may not stay on as students. 
 All the students have first been taught in the 
 village schools; there the promising boys are 
 picked out, and pass some time in the family of 
 one of the missionaries, where they are further 
 tested, and if they conduct themselves well, they 
 go up for the entrance examination, and if they 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 205 
 
 pass are admitted into the Institution. Here 
 they stay four years, passing an examination at 
 the end of each year, and when the final examina- 
 tion is passed they are ready to be called as 
 pastors to any of the native villages. The 
 missionaries are assisted by a native teacher, 
 and the course of instruction includes writing, 
 arithmetic, English history, Church history, 
 physiology, theology, home and pastoral work. 
 A few of the older boys are now being taught 
 English. 
 
 Now I come to the great distinguishing feature 
 of this institution, which is that it is entirely self- 
 supporting, and costs the London Missionary 
 Society nothing but the first cost of the land and 
 the support of the two English missionaries ; it 
 seems to me that the greatest wisdom has been 
 shown in the whole conception of the plan, and 
 I suppose much of the credit is due to the late 
 Rev. Dr. Turner, who is still much honoured 
 and lamented here. When the work was com- 
 menced three hundred acres of land were bought 
 to provide food for the students, and this land is 
 cultivated by the students themselves ; they also 
 built the houses, and keep them in repair. The 
 Samoan houses and the thatched roofs require 
 to be renewed pretty frequently. Of course all 
 this work leaves less time for study, so only 
 three days a week — Monday, Tuesday, and 
 Thursday — are devoted entirely to class-work. 
 On Wednesday they work from 6 a.m. till 2 p.m., 
 
206 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 with an interval for rest, keeping the houses in 
 order and weeding ; in the afternoon there is an 
 exposition. On Friday they work in the planta- 
 tion, each man cultivating enough to supply his 
 own family. They live chiefly on bananas, 
 bread-fruit, and taro, with occasional supplies of 
 fish. On Saturday they prepare for Sunday, 
 cooking all the food that will be required in 
 native ovens. On Thursday evening there is a 
 Christian Endeavour meeting, attendance at 
 which is entirely optional, but most of the 
 students join. On Saturday afternoon there is 
 a prayer-meeting. 
 
 The Sunday we spent at Malua, being the 
 first of the month. I had the privilege of keep- 
 ing the feast with this large and interesting 
 Mission family. It is always pleasant to realise 
 how the simple rite suits all climes and all cir- 
 cumstances, and may be understood even in a 
 foreign tongue. In Samoa the juice of the coco- 
 nut is used for wine. The students were mostly 
 dressed in white kilts and jackets, reminding one 
 of 'the white-robed multitude.' 
 
 . . . On Monday afternoon, after an hour's 
 pleasant ride, we reached the next Mission 
 station, Leulumoenga. . . . This also is a lovely 
 station, more land-locked than Malua ; a point 
 of land runs out to the north-west, which seems 
 almost to reach the island of Apolima, and 
 beyond that stretches the island of Savaii. The 
 peculiar feature of this station is a high school 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 207 
 
 for boys, which was started about two years ago. 
 It was found that many young men went to 
 Malua who did not really wish to be ministers, 
 but wanted the higher teaching that they could 
 get there. To obviate this difficulty, this high 
 school for more secular instruction has been 
 opened. The boys are from twelve to eighteen 
 years of age, and if they wish to be pastors, they 
 pass on to Malua when they leave the school. 
 There is accommodation for eighty boys in ten 
 houses, each presided over by a married monitor. 
 This also has land set apart, and the boys work 
 for their food. Hitherto all education has been 
 given free at Malua, but here a nominal charge 
 of two dollars a year is made as a beginning. 
 This last year Mr. Hills set the boys to industrial 
 work as an occupation for their leisure hours, and 
 we were specially invited to be present at the 
 examination, when the fruits of their labours 
 were to be displayed. Tuesday the 5th was the 
 great day, and the stir quite reminded me of a 
 school examination in the old days in Scotland. 
 . . . The examination proper had taken place 
 before, and the prizes been awarded, and I had 
 the honour of presenting them as the Tina le 
 Tusitala, which means ' the mother of the teller 
 of stories.' Tusitala is the only name by which 
 my son is known among the Samoans. The 
 whole proceedings wound up with the singing of 
 ' God save the Queen ' by the boys ; of course 
 we all stood up and joined heartily, and it was 
 
208 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 quite touching. I think I felt a little as the 
 Israelites did when they sang the songs of Zion 
 by the waters of Babylon. 
 
 The boys made a very good appearance, and 
 were very wide awake, which did much credit to 
 their teachers, as the Samoans are apt to be 
 rather sleepy. ... I see that I have forgotten 
 to mention that Leulumoenga is eventually to be 
 a normal school, where the students will go for 
 six months when they pass out of Malua to learn 
 how to teach. This will be of great use, as the 
 village pastor is also the village schoolmaster. . . . 
 
 Vailima y July 25, 1892. 
 
 TO complete the list, we had a visit on 
 Friday from the only other royalty in 
 the island besides Malietoa and Mataafa. (I 
 dare say you will think us prolific in royalties.) 
 His name is Tamasese, and he is the son of 
 that Tamasese that the Germans made king, 
 and afterwards, in the time of trouble, deserted. 
 The poor man, I am told, died of grief; and I 
 can believe it, for Samoans feel things deeply, 
 and sorrow reacts on them physically in a way 
 unknown, or very rare, amongst our northern 
 peoples. The son is a fine powerful fellow with 
 a very pleasant face, and what Fanny calls 'a 
 painted smile.' He prides himself on being a 
 Samoan chief, pure and simple, and came dressed 
 in nothing but a lava-lava of stiff tapa, with a 
 red flower behind his left ear, and his brown 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 209 
 
 shoulders gleaming and polished like satin. He 
 brought with him a 'talking-man' called Ungi, 
 and another attendant who kept very much in 
 the background ; but Ungi was himself a chief, 
 though of lower rank, and took his place beside 
 us on the verandah to superintend the distribu- 
 tion of kava. C T , who came with them 
 
 to act as interpreter, told us that Ungi had been 
 all through the war fighting for King Tamasese, 
 and was considered a great wit and most amus- 
 ing personage ; ' in fact,' he amused us by adding, 
 ' I only wish you could understand all he says ; 
 I assure you, he is quite a clown ! ' You see, in 
 Samoa a circus clown is still appreciated in pro- 
 portion to his rarity ! 
 
 We gave them roast-pork and green peas 
 for dinner, and Tamasese was greatly pleased 
 with the ' small berries,' which of course he had 
 never seen before. Afterwards Louis had some 
 political conversation with them, and then we 
 took them round the house, knowing pretty well 
 by experience what would interest them — the 
 tiger's skin, which they called the ' big pussy,' 
 of course most of all. We happened to men- 
 tion that Lady J and her party were to 
 
 arrive shortly on a visit to Mr. H , and that 
 
 it was proposed we should all go for a malanga 
 round the coast ; and that we hoped she would 
 get a good impression of Samoa. He immedi- 
 ately said that he would send his own boat, and 
 make all preparations for the party ; and said it, 
 
2io LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 too, with such evident goodwill that it doubled 
 
 the kindness. He is to see Mr. H about it, 
 
 but other arrangements may have been already- 
 fixed upon. I am afraid we shall be too gay 
 next month, with these visitors and our own 
 guest, G ,* even if he is a cousin, to enter- 
 tain as well. But Mr. H will have the 
 
 brunt of it to bear ; he is giving up his own 
 
 house to Lady Y , and there are eight 
 
 Samoan houses in the compound, one of them 
 at present being fitted up as a sitting-room, 
 which will be given over to the men. 
 
 July 27. 
 
 CLU B night, and the others are all gone to 
 Apia in consequence. They have now 
 definitely taken a room, as it was found incon- 
 venient to be without a fixed abiding-place; it 
 
 is really part of Mr. H 's house, but has a 
 
 separate entrance. There is a large room for 
 dancing, etc., and a small one off it which can 
 be used as a sitting-room, and will be very 
 useful. Indeed, I am glad to say that our people 
 have taken down mattresses and mats, so that 
 if the weather turn very bad, or the night very 
 dark, they can stay there till morning ; a much 
 safer place, I am sure, from my one experience 
 of riding home by night. 
 
 Do you remember what I told you of our 
 
 1 Mr. Graham Balfour — afterwards editor of the Life of Robert Louis 
 Stevenson — who spent much time with them in Samoa. 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 211 
 
 ' twin angels ' that suggested Scripture characters, 
 ' probably Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego ' ? 
 Well, we have found the missing Abednego ! 
 Paatalise, otherwise and commonly Shadrach, said 
 that he did not feel well, and would like to go 
 to some friends in Apia for a while ; but that 
 he would send a substitute to do his work until 
 he could return. When the substitute arrived 
 he seemed a very nice boy, with very nice 
 manners, quite equal to the other two ; but his 
 name was Mitaele, the same that our Meshach 
 rejoices in, so promptly and inimitably we dubbed 
 the newcomer Apttindko — the nearest he could 
 manage to the original — and he is quite proud 
 of his new name. 
 
 July 31. 
 
 A LAS and alas ! our expectations were de- 
 Jr\. ceived, and Abednego has turned out a 
 failure. He not only neglected his work when- 
 ever it was possible to put the blame of so doing 
 on some one else, but persuaded Mitaele to go 
 off at night with him to Apia, a thing strictly 
 forbidden to all our boys ; so yesterday morning 
 he was paid his wages and dismissed. It is 
 really annoying, as he could understand Samoan 
 (he was a Wallis Islander like Paatalise), and 
 already knew a good deal about waiting at 
 table. . . . 
 
 Did I tell you that the old lead soldiers that 
 Louis used to play with at Bournemouth have 
 turned up unexpectedly here ? The game has 
 
2i2 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 been started again with renewed vigour, and, 
 to put it becomingly, a larger staff, as little 
 Austin is allowed to take part in it, much to 
 his delight, and is dignified with the name of 
 'General Hoskyns.' He is under Louis, from 
 whom he gets written orders, which must be 
 carried out without letting Lloyd see or discover 
 them. He came this morning to tell me in great 
 glee that he had 'taken a city.' To tell you 
 the truth, however, I think Lou enjoys it quite 
 as much as the child does, and puts as much 
 serious effort and enthusiasm into a clever 
 ' move ' as into any of his literary work ! 
 
 August 5. 
 
 I AM all alone at Vailima, the only white 
 person on the premises. All the rest of 
 the family are now in Apia awaiting the arrival 
 
 of the steamer with G on board. It is a 
 
 lovely day, and everything is looking its best ; 
 all morning I have been overlooking the boys, 
 and trying to get the place into tolerable order. 
 It is a constantly recurring worry here that no 
 one can tell exactly when the steamer will get 
 in ; and if it is important to meet it on arrival, 
 one has sometimes to wait not only hours, but 
 days, at Apia. Louis, Fanny, and Belle went 
 down last night, as Belle particularly wanted to 
 see the captain to arrange about Austin going 
 to San Francisco on the return trip ; while Lloyd 
 and Austin started immediately after breakfast 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 213 
 
 this morning with five riding-horses, and the 
 two cart-horses for luggage. Quite a noble 
 cavalcade. It is now 4 p.m., however, so I fear 
 the boat has not arrived and may be late. 
 
 August 10. 
 
 WELL, the cavalcade returned in triumph 
 on the afternoon of the 6th, bringing 
 
 G with them. We are all delighted with 
 
 him ; he takes to Vailima ways like a duck to 
 water, appeared the very next morning with 
 bare feet, is willing and able to do anything, 
 and already makes himself generally useful ! 
 Louis gives an amusing account of going off to 
 the steamer, and, along with Fanny, anxiously 
 studying all the visible passengers to discern 
 
 which was our guest. I have G 's own 
 
 authority for saying that there 'was rather a 
 measly lot on board,' some of them decidedly 
 unprepossessing; so Louis and Fanny looked 
 about them with sinking hearts, trying to pick 
 out some one not too objectionable. They had 
 just reluctantly agreed that one man might be 
 G , and Fanny had added, without con- 
 viction, ' Remember, he may improve very much 
 upon acquaintance ! ' when they suddenly became 
 aware of an unmistakable ' Balfour face,' and 
 shouted with relief and welcome, ' Oh, there he 
 is ! ' . . . He is already off to see something of 
 
 the island, however. As Mr. C was going 
 
 off on a Mission malanga this week, he invited 
 
2i4 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 and Lloyd to join him, and they left 
 
 yesterday morning. They are going in the 
 opposite direction to Malua, and will see the 
 best scenery ; it was very lucky to get the 
 
 chance, as G naturally wishes to see all 
 
 he can, and particularly wants to learn some- 
 thing of native life and habits where they are 
 to be seen almost unchanged. It is fortunate 
 that he can do so without the faintest difficulty 
 or danger in Samoa. You must know that the 
 Samoans were not cannibals even when the 
 earliest missionaries arrived here ; though some 
 of their customs seem to indicate that they may 
 have been so long, long ago. For instance, 
 prisoners are still brought in tied up like pigs ; 
 and there are other habits that I forget, which 
 still linger in some half-forgotten use. But there 
 is no tradition of cannibalism having been prac- 
 tised, nor of how it came to be given up ; and I 
 often realise with wonder our feeling of absolute 
 safety among the natives here. Sometimes on 
 club nights Austin and I are all alone at Vailima, 
 and he goes off to bed in ' Pineapple Cottage ' 
 quite unconcerned ; while I do the same in this 
 house, with all the doors and windows set open 
 to the night and to any one who might choose 
 to enter. How many places are there at home 
 where one would care to do as much ? 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 215 
 
 August 12. 
 
 WE are going to have an addition to our 
 family ; Talolo, our cook, has just told 
 us that he, is going to be married, and will bring 
 his wife home on Sunday. He says she wants 
 to work for us, but is very young and inexperi- 
 enced. I hope she will prove a nice teachable 
 girl, in which case she might become my maid ; 
 I do not altogether enjoy having a man working 
 in and about my room. At any rate we shall 
 try to teach her sewing and machining. We 
 offered Talolo one of the two new Samoan 
 houses recently put up for his new mdnage ; but 
 he prefers his present room opening off the 
 stables, which, as a matter of fact, have never 
 been used as stables. 
 
 The Wrecker reached us by this mail, along 
 with two excellent reviews, and the pleasant 
 news that the first edition was sold off on the 
 day of publication. Here is Lou's dedication, 
 written in my copy : To M. I. Stevenson, Dean 
 of the University of Vailima, the following 
 trifling volume is respectfully tendered by Robert 
 Louis Stevenson, Professor of History in the 
 same liberal institution ! I think I have told 
 you already that I do not find this book cheerful 
 reading, and some parts of it are fairly grue- 
 some ; but I believe it is a wonderful picture of 
 certain phases in South Sea life. . . . 
 
2i 6 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 August 15. 
 
 and Lloyd came home on Satur- 
 day; they found many of the villages 
 almost depopulated, and very few children in the 
 schools, indeed in one place the school was shut 
 up for want of scholars. This was because all 
 the people had gone in a body to Malie, to join 
 Mataafa. Whether it means action on his part 
 in the immediate future, we do not know ; but 
 it looks rather like it, I fear. To return to 
 
 pleasanter matters, G and Lloyd enjoyed 
 
 their malanga immensely ; they visited Tamasese, 
 who was exceedingly kind, got up a dance for 
 their benefit, put them up for the night, and 
 sent them back in his own boat. The greatest 
 
 trial of the visit was the breakfast ; G is 
 
 a true Balfour, and likes to have his breakfast 
 whenever he gets up, but in this case, after wait- 
 ing an hour and a half, the only thing that 
 appeared was the ubiquitous kava ! And there 
 was another even longer wait before anything 
 edible was brought in. On the whole, after four 
 
 nights on native beds, G was unfeignedly 
 
 glad to get back to Vailima ! 
 
 Talolo's little bride has arrived, and looks 
 very modest and pretty ; her name is Siuga. The 
 room was decorated with flowers to welcome 
 her, and we had all got little presents ready for 
 her home-coming ; mine was a looking-glass, 
 Lloyd's the stuff for a holaku, Fanny gave 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 217 
 
 some other garments, and Belle some towels. 
 Louis is going to give her a holaku too, but has 
 not yet had time to buy it. I hope she will 
 prove as sweet and gentle as she "looks, in which 
 case she will be a real treasure. 
 
 We had our first visit from Lady J 
 
 yesterday. Louis and Fanny had met her 
 already, in Apia, and Belle and I had meant to 
 call ; but yesterday we heard most unexpectedly 
 that she was on her way to Vailima. We sent 
 out word to the boys to make themselves look 
 nice, and when she arrived we had three splendid 
 fellows in lava-lavas and wreaths, girdles and 
 anklets of fresh flowers and leaves, ready to take 
 the horses. We had tea on the verandah, and 
 then took our visitors to see Lafaele in his 
 native house and Talolo in his kitchen ; Lady 
 
 J was delightful to them all, and admired 
 
 everything to their heart's content. She says 
 she is enchanted with Samoa, and finds it far 
 lovelier than she ever dared to expect. But 
 there is no time for more, as the mail must be 
 off to Apia at once. . . . 
 
 Vailima, August 21, 1892. 
 
 THE Mali6 party was very successful, I only 
 wish you could have seen the start ; 
 Louis and the others, with Henry as 'talking- 
 man,' and Lafaele to carry luggage and look 
 after the horses. It was the first time that Lou 
 was attended ceremoniously with his own 'talking- 
 
218 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 man,' and as a chief ought to be. Mataafa 
 received them most cordially, and in the morning 
 showed them some curious customs connected 
 with kava-drihking, customs which in a sense are 
 fossilised history. As, for instance, a stone had 
 kava poured over it ; a chief five times indignantly 
 refused the bowl of kava offered to him, because 
 it was not large enough ; another chief lay down 
 on the ground and pretended to be ill, he was 
 then covered with a lava-lava and was given 
 loni-loni (native massage), till at last he lifted his 
 head just high enough to drink the kava with 
 (apparently) great difficulty. All these scenes, 
 so to speak, refer to real events, some of them 
 very far back, but yet never quite forgotten ; 
 though I dare say the representation has fre- 
 quently outlived all but vague tradition. . . . 
 
 The others returned, very tired, early on 
 Wednesday, but Louis stayed to dine with Mr. 
 
 H , and came home at 9.30, looking quite 
 
 bright and not a bit done up. I told him that 
 he was the strongest of the party, after all ! Our 
 share in the malanga, however, has had to be 
 given up, as it was found that if we all went we 
 should be too numerous for any accommodation 
 available. The weather, moreover, turned so 
 wet, that I cannot say we missed anything; 
 
 and I have not heard yet how |Mr. H and 
 
 his companions fared. I hope the rain will not 
 continue and spoil the opening of the new school- 
 house by Lady J next week. I was there 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 219 
 
 the other day and found all getting fast into 
 order; the two teachers are living there now, 
 and everything is very nice. In the main 
 building there are sitting- and dining-rooms for 
 the ladies downstairs, besides the large school- 
 room ; and on the upper story, two small bed- 
 rooms and the large dormitory, with verandahs 
 back and front. Then outside, and quite apart, 
 there is a kitchen and a native house, where the 
 girls will take their meals, a most suitable 
 arrangement. 
 
 The whole of us (excepting myself, since I 
 don't accept ' evening engagements ' nowadays) 
 
 were at Mr. H 's on Tuesday evening for a 
 
 composite entertainment of dinner and reception. 
 It was very amusing, I fancy ; dinner was late, 
 
 as Mr. H and some of his guests had been 
 
 out driving and did not ' dress ' till after the 
 meal. In fact, when the evening visitors began 
 to arrive there was no one to receive them, as 
 
 Mr. H had not yet reappeared ; so Louis 
 
 had to act ' chamberlain ' and present them to 
 
 Lady J . There were some decidedly amusing 
 
 incidents, but everybody seems to have enjoyed 
 
 it. Mr. H 's house, I must tell you, is not 
 
 only full of curiosities and interesting things 
 inside, but is rather unusual outside, with mys- 
 terious iron bars and gratings, etc. ; so Louis 
 having declared that a first-rate Ouida-esque 
 novel could be written about him and his sur- 
 roundings, it was agreed to start it, each of 
 
220 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 certain selected people writing a chapter. Lady 
 
 J entered with great zeal into the project, 
 
 and it appears that she and her brother have 
 both written instalments ; so have Louis, Fanny, 
 and Belle, and I believe an epilogue and pro- 
 logue are 'also in hand. I am not sure how 
 many chapters there will be, nor do I yet know 
 how it will turn out ; but from bits that Louis 
 has read or told to me, I am sure it will be 
 very amusing, apart from the present fun it has 
 given in writing. Moreover, I have just now 
 heard Fanny's chapter read aloud ; it is very 
 clever and most entertaining, an account of the 
 reception of last Tuesday, told in a most absurd 
 and successful parody of Ouida's manner. 
 
 September 3. 
 
 A BUSY week. I believe I did not mention 
 that the Curagoa was in harbour, which 
 always means a certain amount of gaiety. On 
 
 Sunday we had Lady J and some other 
 
 people to tea, and on Monday we all went to 
 the opening, delayed from Saturday, of Papauta 
 School. There was a large gathering of people, 
 and the whole place was beautifully decorated 
 
 with coco-leaves, ferns, and flowers ; Lady J 
 
 made a really excellent speech ex tempore with 
 the greatest ease, and I envied her with all my 
 heart. I have said before, and I cannot help 
 repeating, that such an accomplishment seems 
 to me most valuable and delightful. When the 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 221 
 
 little ceremony was over, we all walked up to see 
 the waterfall; it is a good height and exceed- 
 ingly pretty, with as usual the most beautiful 
 surroundings. After tea on the verandah I 
 came home; but the others went into Apia 
 
 and dined at Mr. H 's. The next day he 
 
 and his party lunched with us, and we gave 
 them all the Samoan dishes we could contrive to 
 get together : roast-pig with miti sauce, fricasseed 
 chickens (a native recipe), baked taro, palusami 
 (which is coconut cream baked in fow-leaves), 
 and another very nice preparation of coconut 
 and taro of which I forget the Samoan name. 
 There was also a Cape-gooseberry tart, which 
 I imagine is neither quite Samoan nor quite 
 English. As we were one too many for the 
 table, Lloyd elected to act butler for the nonce ; 
 and Louis enjoyed the relief of being able to 
 digest a feast, a necessary function which he 
 declares is sorely interfered with by his usual 
 anxiety to watch that our table-boys do not 
 commit unpardonable errors. In exces-de-sele and 
 their desire to give each person a share of all 
 that 's going, they are apt to fill a claret-glass 
 with beer, and have been caught in the act of 
 pouring salad-oil into sherry ! ! Later on we 
 had kava on the verandah, in full and proper 
 style, with Henry Simold as our 'talking-man' 
 to call out the drinkers' names in due order ; 
 and the further entertainment was provided by 
 the reading aloud of the co-operatic novel. It 
 
222 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 has turned out a great success. Louis wrote the 
 
 fourth chapter; but the epilogue, by G , is 
 
 pronounced to be 'the best of the lot' There 
 is praise for you ! . . . 
 
 On Wednesday I left home at 8 a.m. to go 
 with Mr. and Mrs. C to the school examina- 
 tion at Mootaa, a little village some two or three 
 miles to the east of Apia. The village church 
 serves also as the schoolhouse, and the pastor 
 is schoolmaster ; there were fully a hundred 
 children, and the examination was really a most 
 serious affair : Scripture knowledge, arithmetic, 
 geography, writing, and dictation, all judged by 
 exercises written on slates. You can imagine 
 that the reading of all these, and giving them 
 their appropriate marks, was no short task for 
 
 Mr. C , but he was pleased with the result ; 
 
 many of the children did very well indeed, 
 though it is by no means considered one of the 
 best schools. It was past six before we got 
 to Apia, where I decided to stay the night; 
 my ' folk ' were in town anyway to dinner, and 
 as we were to start early next day on a picnic 
 to Papaeia, or the Sliding Rock, it saved me 
 some fatigue. 
 
 On Thursday, then, we set out at 10 a.m. on 
 horseback. We were between twenty and thirty 
 people in all. It was a new road to me, and 
 very good riding for the first two miles; then 
 we turned off into the bush, where the path was 
 narrow, rough, and muddy. There Were many 
 
l'APA^IA — THE "SLIDING ROCK ' 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 223 
 
 trees across the track, and frequently we had 
 to turn aside and make a ddtour through the 
 bush ; not always very comfortable or easy, 
 even on horseback, but we had some lovely 
 peeps of mountain and sea between the green 
 walls of foliage. At last we left our horses at 
 the upper end of a gorge, and made our way, 
 by a very rough descent, to the bottom ; the 
 " sliding rock ' then was found to be fully twenty 
 feet high, with a waterfall rushing over its edge 
 into the pool below. The great delight of the 
 young people is to sit down at the top and 
 allow themselves to be carried down by the 
 water ; it is very strange to see them dash down 
 and disappear in a great shower of spray, but 
 after the first time, which is rather breathless 
 even for an onlooker, it is very amusing to 
 watch. There were both brown and white 
 among the bathers; but certainly the brown 
 skins showed to great advantage over the white 
 ones in these circumstances, and we were con- 
 scious of a sneaking regret that we belonged 
 to such a bleached, washed -out -looking race! 
 We had lunch on the grass beside the waterfall 
 when the young people could be persuaded to 
 leave the water, and in the afternoon we rode 
 home, I, for one, frankly tired after two days' 
 expeditions on horseback. 
 
 To-day, the steamer having come in a day 
 
 sooner than was expected, Lady J and her 
 
 party are off. I think they have enjoyed their 
 
224 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 visit to Samoa, and I am sure every one else 
 has ; but after so much going on, we shall be 
 none the worse of a little quiet and rest. 
 
 September 1 1. 
 
 ON Wednesday I went to the opening of 
 the new native church in Matafele. We 
 were fortunate in having a lovely day after 
 several wet ones, and the church was crowded 
 to the door ; indeed, the people had to be asked 
 several times to go out, in order to let others 
 come in and have a share in the proceedings. 
 They were all dressed in their best, many of 
 the chiefs in white, and the young women in 
 the gorgeous dresses that they wore at the 
 ' May-meetings.' One very pretty half-caste was 
 there in a tapa skirt, a low bodice trimmed with 
 beads, and a wreath of multicoloured feathers in 
 her hair. I was just thinking how it became her, 
 
 and how pretty she looked, when Miss L 
 
 turned to me with a shocked expression of coun- 
 tenance, and said, ' Only fancy, she is a teacher 
 in my Sunday-school ! ' I rather wickedly replied, 
 ' Well, why not ? She is much more modestly 
 dressed than many of our girls at home when 
 they go to parties ! ' Which was true ; and in 
 this climate such a garb seems quite as suitable 
 
 for morning wear. I don't think Miss L 
 
 was convinced, however, though she said no 
 more. After the prayers and speeches were 
 over, the people all left their seats and marched 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 225 
 
 up to a sort of reading-desk, where they dashed 
 down their contributions in the plate, just as I 
 told you they do at the 'May-meetings'; the 
 more noise the better, apparently. Neither the 
 seats nor the passage were very roomy, and as 
 there was a double row of people sitting in the 
 passage itself, this proceeding took up a good 
 deal of time, and made a great amount of con- 
 fusion ; but Mr. C told me that when he 
 
 tried to introduce handing round the plate, the 
 native pastor said to him, ' Missi, we want the 
 money, and they not give half as much if not 
 
 let give their own way,' and, as Mr. C added 
 
 maliciously, 'You see, we publish no reports 
 and lists of subscriptions.' It is quite a pretty 
 little church, the roof lined with varnished wood 
 in two shades, and the windows filled with stained 
 glass ; but the windows are too narrow to please 
 me, and there is only one door at the end, which 
 I think a pity. 
 
 We lunched afterwards with friends ; and I 
 was told a story of myself that may amuse you. 
 
 A lady was describing Mrs. C and me 
 
 riding home from the recent school examination 
 at Mootaa (of which I told you). She declared 
 that she made herself nearly ill only in trying, 
 vainly, to keep us in sight ; ' and as for 
 Mrs. Stevenson,' she wound up, 'she is just 
 a storm on horseback ! ' 
 
 I am now allowed to tell you the secret history 
 of the last visit to Malie. Lady J was one 
 
226 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 of the party! She was very anxious to see 
 Mataafa, and sent word to Louis that she pro- 
 posed to go anonymously, as his cousin ; her 
 brother was to be of the party, but it was thought 
 more than doubtful whether, considering the 
 circumstances, she ought to commit herself in 
 such a manner. However, she got her way! 
 Most elaborate arrangements were made for the 
 conspirators' meeting outside the town, on the 
 way to Malie ; and it was given out that Lady 
 J was spending the night ' with the Steven- 
 sons,' which indeed she was, but not at Vailima! 
 Everything, as I told you, went well, and the 
 secret was well kept ; but things always leak out 
 in the end in Samoa, and as the whole world 
 knows now, we need not keep it quiet any longer. 
 We suppose it was the knowledge of this visit 
 that made King Malietoa receive Lloyd and 
 
 G so coldly when they called on him a day 
 
 or two after. He never asked them to sit down, 
 and looked so much put out that they took leave 
 very speedily, more out of compassion for him 
 than for themselves. He, poor man, had evi- 
 dently got orders from ' headquarters ' as to his 
 behaviour. 
 
 We are all off to Apia to see little Austin 
 away by this boat, so I must stop. An Italian 
 artist, called Nerli, has come here from Sydney 
 to paint Samoan subjects, and has asked Louis 
 to sit to him ; the sittings are to commence as 
 soon as the boat is away — we have all been too 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 227 
 
 busy to make it possible sooner — and we are 
 anxiously hoping that, as he is said to paint 
 very well, he will succeed in turning out a really 
 good likeness. But somehow I do not think 
 Louis easy to ' reproduce,' in any style ! 
 
 Vailima, September 18, 1892. 
 
 LITTLE Austin is fairly off, and the house 
 / is terribly dull without him ; as for me, 
 ' Othello's occupation 's gone,' and I sorely miss 
 my pupil. We sent him away in grand style, to 
 cheer him up. We all went down to Apia the 
 night before, and early on Wednesday morning 
 all our people arrived finely decorated with leaves 
 and flowers, and carrying baskets of fruit for 
 Austin to take on board with him — limes, pine- 
 apples, mummy-apples, and barbedines. When the 
 
 Alameda came in, about twelve o'clock, Mr. H 
 
 took us on board in the boat that belongs to him 
 as Land Commissioner, with the English flag 
 flying, four rowers and a steersman in red 
 
 lava-lavas and white shirts, and Mr. H 
 
 himself dazzling in white linen and ' official ' 
 buttons. We stayed to lunch, and found the 
 passengers rather a nice set ; there was one 
 couple that Belle had met formerly in Sydney, 
 and she put Austin into their care. Before we 
 came away, moreover, he had already made 
 friends with one of the stewards and the 
 stewardess, so I think he will be all right. Of 
 course the parting was a wrench to his mother, 
 
228 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 but for the child's sake she kept up bravely, and 
 when we came away at three o'clock we could 
 see him waving to us, till one of the ladies on 
 board came and led him out of sight. Then we 
 all rode home to a ' tin dinner,' and found 
 
 G driving in the cows to be milked. 
 
 On Friday Singa, Talolo's wife, had a very 
 sore leg ; it was badly swollen, and she was in 
 acute pain, and would allow no one to touch her. 
 The only thing visible was a small black mark on 
 the side of the foot, where a piece of wood was 
 supposed to have run in ; and we thought that if 
 it caused such pain, it might require to be cut out. 
 
 G and I set off to Apia to see if the doctor 
 
 could come up ; but he was attending an anxious 
 case that it was impossible to leave, and told us 
 to put cold dressings on the foot in the mean- 
 time, give her morphia to soothe the pain, and 
 send her down to him, as soon as it was light 
 next morning, slung in a hammock. We re- 
 turned home to find that Fanny had put cocaine 
 on the wound, and almost immediately after 
 Talolo's mother arrived and exorcised a supposed 
 devil ; with the unfortunate result that when the 
 pain ceased (as it promptly did), each party 
 claimed the merit of the cure ! Yesterday morn- 
 ing, however, at six o'clock, the cavalcade duly 
 started for Apia, Singa sitting in the hammock 
 and looking very comfortable and pretty ; it was 
 slung on a pole carried by two strong men, with 
 other two alongside to relieve them, and Lloyd 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 229 
 
 riding behind to see that they did verily go to 
 the doctor, as there had been some talk of native 
 surgery, which Louis would not allow. The 
 Samoan doctors, I believe, use fish-bones for 
 lancets, and blood-poisoning is very common in 
 consequence. The party returned later in great 
 glee, as the doctor said there was nothing in the 
 foot, and that the pain was caused by an ' injury 
 to the nerve,' the effects of which would pass off 
 in a few days. 
 
 September 25. 
 
 WE have had a quiet and uneventful week. 
 The portrait is progressing, and there 
 have been some half-dozen sittings already ; but 
 I cannot say yet whether it will be thoroughly 
 successful or not. Signor Nerli has walked both 
 ways each time he has come here from Apia, 
 and he told Louis that what struck him most 
 about this climate was the absence of extreme 
 heat. In Florence, where the winters are so 
 cold, the summer heat is so great that all sorts 
 of precautions have to be taken against sun- 
 stroke ; but here there is no danger, and no 
 special care is taken by any one. So you see I 
 am not alone in proclaiming this the real ' tem- 
 perate climate of the world.' Moreover, if you 
 want another proof of it, you should see the 
 cabbages that Fanny has at last succeeded in 
 growing here ; they are larger and finer than 
 any I ever saw at home, and when Talolo was 
 
230 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 shown the first, he said, ' It is like a German's 
 head . . . ! ' Louis declares that no one can 
 appreciate the true flavour of a cabbage who 
 has not spent six months on the line islands; 
 and there is a real sense of triumph in turning 
 out such fine specimens. 
 
 I don't think I told you that the long-talked- 
 of addition to the house is now decided, the 
 result, you see, of The Wreckers success. The 
 German firm has taken the contract, and the 
 wood is ordered from San Francisco ; they will 
 set to work in November, and be done, we hope, 
 in January. The under part of the addition is to 
 be one large sitting-room, which will be a real 
 comfort to us all in the wet season ; and upstairs 
 I am to have a fine new suite of apartments, 
 besides which there will be two much-needed 
 ' extra ' bedrooms. 
 
 October 2. 
 
 THE mail arrived on Friday, bringing much 
 welcome home news ; but otherwise it has 
 been again a quiet week. Louis finished David 
 Balfour on Monday, to our great delight ; and 
 on Wednesday he was in a high fever, and once 
 more I set off in search of the doctor. Unfor- 
 tunately he was out, and I had to pursue him 
 from place to place ; I did not get home till past 
 twelve, having been more than three continuous 
 hours in the saddle, riding fast all the time. 
 Pretty well for the old lady, isn't it? Luckily, 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 231 
 
 when the doctor came up in the afternoon, he 
 calmed our anxiety very much by assuring us it 
 was only 'brain-fag,' and would pass off of itself ; 
 and it certainly is not surprising, when one thinks 
 of the amount of work Lou has done in the past 
 year. He is resting now, and I hope will not 
 begin anything new for a while, at any rate. 
 
 Thursday was Mr. H 's birthday, and he 
 
 came up to dine with us. It was quite a festive 
 meal, and very gay ; the servants were dressed 
 for the first time in the ' Vailima livery,' Royal 
 Stewart tartan lava-lavas and white shirts, the 
 girls wearing the same lava-lavas with chemises, 
 and all with flowers in their hair. They really 
 looked very well in it. Lou was anxious to find 
 a tartan that the Balfours might have some claim 
 to, but I could think of none save the Mackenzie ; 
 and as that was collateral, he finally decided on 
 the Royal Stewart. After dinner we all sat out 
 on the verandah, and Lloyd sang songs to us in 
 the moonlight ; till a message was brought from 
 the boys inviting us to a siva, or native dance, 
 that they had got up in Lafaele's house all of 
 their own accord. Was it not very nice of them ? 
 The raised part of the house made the stage, 
 with candles in tin boxes for footlights, and the 
 orchestra consisted of a log of wood rolled in a 
 native mat, on which two boys beat time with 
 drumsticks. We sat on mats on the lower part 
 of the floor — the arrangement of a native house 
 lending itself nicely to such a purpose. The 
 
232 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 performers were dressed in short lava-lavas and 
 many wreaths of flowers ; most of the time they 
 sat on the floor, cross-legged, and the principal 
 movements were done with the arms, but the 
 whole bodies swayed about in a wonderfully 
 supple and graceful way. All the time they sang 
 songs that they had specially composed for the 
 occasion — songs about Tusitala and Tamaitai, 
 Loya and Teuila : how Tusitala fed them with 
 beef and salmon and biscuits, and how Tamaitai 
 cured them when they were ill ; how Loya 
 scolded them when they were lazy, and how 
 Teuila gave them fine dresses and put rings on 
 their fingers. And ' right here,' as the Yankees 
 say, I must explain things before I go further. 
 Belle's name of Teuila means 'to adorn the 
 ugly,' and was first given to her a good while 
 ago because she was always dressing the girls 
 with flowers. Then on Wednesday Fanny went 
 to an auction in Apia to buy any stores that 
 went cheap, and one lot of gilt wedding-rings 
 and cheap thimbles being put up, Fanny made a 
 small bid for it in joke. No one else, however, 
 bid anything, so she came home the proud 
 possessor of nine dozen wedding-rings — almost as 
 bad as a ' gross of green spectacles ' ! We got 
 much fun out of the transaction, and in the end 
 all the boys were called in, and Teuila fitted a 
 ring on the little finger of each, to their intense 
 delight. ... So now you can understand the 
 allusions. When the rings were mentioned all 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 233 
 
 the boys held their hands up to show them 
 off. 
 
 As soon as the sitting-dance was over they 
 stood up, and two of them went through a mock 
 fight. Then they acted a game of cricket, with 
 a pail for wickets and a broom for a bat ; and 
 then we had a dance by three of the women, the 
 same singing and swaying of the arms and body 
 that displayed to perfection their beautiful supple 
 figures. I had seen no native dancing before, 
 and it was really very pretty and interesting. 
 
 Yesterday Louis was asked to give an address 
 
 to Miss L 's Sunday-school, and I went 
 
 down to have the great pleasure of hearing him ; 
 how I wished his father could have heard him 
 too ! — but I consoled myself by thinking that 
 perhaps he did. Poor Lou was rather upset by 
 the first sight of his audience, for all the little 
 pupils sit in front ; and he declared afterwards 
 that he found himself face to face with a most 
 uninspiring infant school, gazing at him with 
 goggle eyes without a spark of intelligence in 
 them. He took the parable of the talents as a 
 foundation. Then he told them that there were 
 three talents at least that they all possessed, and 
 must try to make a good use of: tongues that 
 they must use to cheer and make happy all 
 around them ; faces that they must keep bright 
 as new shillings, so that they might shine like 
 lamps in their homes ; and hands that must be 
 kept employed in useful work cheerfully done, 
 
234 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 and if they spent their lives in doing these things 
 for the good of others, they might be told at the 
 last, Inasmuch as ye did it to the least of these, ye 
 did it unto Me. 
 
 Yesterday Mrs. C , Belle, G , and I 
 
 all started to ride to Utumapu, one of the Ger- 
 man plantations at some distance from Apia. In 
 fact, Belle broke down about halfway, and Mrs. 
 
 C turned back with her, as she had often 
 
 been before ; so that G and I went on alone. 
 
 It took us three hours to go and return, canter- 
 ing hard very nearly all the way ; but we were 
 rewarded by a splendid view of lovely wooded 
 mountains and dazzling blue sea from the height 
 where the overseer's house stood. Then we 
 rode into a lovely little valley to see the coffee 
 mill ; it reminded me of Hawthornden empha- 
 sised by very fine tree - ferns, large - leaved 
 bananas, and trees wreathed with ferns, orchids, 
 and lianas of many kinds. When I got home 
 after this excursion I was certainly tired and 
 rather stiff, but felt that I might, considering all 
 things, be reasonably proud of my performances 
 on horseback ! 
 
 Now to answer a question of yours before this 
 goes to catch the mail. Malietoa's salary, or 
 allowance, is £ 1 2 a year, I believe, and he has 
 only one wife ; it is not true that she takes in 
 washing ; indeed, she does not do even her own, 
 for there are many of the family 'hangers-on' 
 always ready to see to such things for her. The 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 235 
 
 plan by which Mataafa was to become (nomin- 
 ally) Malietoa's daughter fell through because the 
 followers of each party wanted to keep all the 
 power to themselves, and they feared a division 
 of honours. At present no taxes are paid, and 
 the government has very nearly come to a stand- 
 still, and no one can see how it is to end. . . . 
 It is odd to know that this very real trouble is 
 going on, and yet to see about us so little actual 
 evidence of it ; life goes on so tranquilly, to all 
 appearance. The other day I went to the first 
 marriage that has been celebrated in the new 
 Papauta school. The bride has been with the 
 teachers at Malua for some time, and is a very 
 handsome, well-born girl ; she has married a 
 Malua student. The little church was very 
 prettily decorated, but there was one blot upon 
 the scene : the bridegroom's clothes had been 
 provided by his family, and much to the distress 
 of the missionaries, he appeared in white trousers 
 and a coat, and boots and stockings, and looked 
 simply horrid. Before he left the church, though, 
 he divested himself of the boots, which were evi- 
 dently a most unusual splendour, and walked 
 back on his stocking soles! And when he 
 reached Papauta he changed the trousers for a 
 white lava-lava, and looked quite nice ; you can- 
 not realise the difference it made in his appear- 
 ance. I must say that in the pretty little church 
 of Tanugamanono it had been a case of 'only 
 man is vile ' ! . . . 
 
236 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 Vailima, October 16, 1892. 
 
 I WE NT down to Apia when the mail-steamer 
 was in, and spent a long day in town ; but 
 the only interesting thing about it was that at the 
 Mission work-party one of the sewing-machines 
 was worked by . . . her majesty the queen! 
 and very well she managed it, too. The mixture 
 of such thoroughly prosaic and useful qualities 
 as this, with an amazing richness of imagination 
 and language, is a marked trait of the Samoans. 
 On Thursday, for instance, the father of our new 
 boy Asuelo (which is the native form of 
 Ahasuerus) visited us, and made a long speech 
 to Tusitala, comparing himself to the Queen of 
 Sheba ! She, he explained, had heard a great 
 deal about the wisdom and greatness of Solomon, 
 and when she came to see him she said, Behold, 
 the half was not told me. In the same way he 
 had heard much of the beauty of Tusitala's land, 
 the splendour of his house, and his greatness in 
 every way ; and now that he had come to see it 
 for himself, he, too, could use the language of 
 the Queen of Sheba, and say, Behold, the half 
 was not told me. He is a 'talking-man ' by pro- 
 fession, so of course it is his business to make 
 fine speeches, but Lou said he was unusually 
 good at it ; and Asuelo inherits the gift o' the 
 gab, evidently, as it was he who got up the siva 
 that I described in my last letter, and arranged 
 most of the songs. 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 237 
 
 I do not generally trouble you with political 
 disagreeables that I don't always fully under- 
 stand, but I must tell you a little about a matter 
 that has really distressed us a good deal, and 
 which it is just possible you might hear about — 
 perhaps incorrectly — from other sources. I am 
 
 sorry to say it has to do with a Mr. , who 
 
 was formerly connected with the Mission here, 
 though for some time he had given that up to 
 act as a sort of native advocate or representative 
 before the Land Commission. He went home 
 some months ago, and left some very painful 
 stories behind him ; he was said to have defended 
 the proposal to blow up the prison with dynamite, 
 and it was declared on good authority that he 
 had suggested to the American consul that he 
 should invite Mataafa to his house for a friendly 
 conference, when the Germans were to suddenly 
 appear on the scene, seize him, and deport him. 
 Of course these things were very much against 
 
 Mr. , and it was thought right 1 in the interests 
 
 of the Mission that the facts should be laid before 
 the home authorities, as he was still nominally 
 under their orders. I don't know whether any 
 answer to this was received, but the general 
 impression was that he simply would not re- 
 appear ; so it was a rather painful surprise when 
 he turned up in the last mail-steamer. It appears 
 that the statements against him had been laid in 
 his hands, and he had been sent back to clear 
 his character ; which he proposed to do by 
 
238 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 bringing actions for libel against some gentlemen 
 in Apia, and ... Mr. Stevenson ! (This be- 
 cause Louis mentioned the Mataafa incident in 
 his book on Samoa, though of course he sup- 
 pressed all names.) Ultimately, as it was 
 thought that such actions would be very unde- 
 sirable for many reasons, it was decided to take 
 all the available evidence before a committee of 
 missionaries who would send home a full report ; 
 which has been done, so that the responsibility 
 of decision now rests with the authorities at 
 
 home. Meanwhile Mr. is in a most 
 
 awkward position here ; he cannot, of course, 
 return to his former work connected- with the 
 Mission, and the Land Commissioners do not care 
 for his services either. It has made a great deal 
 of trouble, and annoyed and distressed all of us ; 
 and I should not be at all astonished if something 
 of it even reached your ears. I am glad to say, 
 however, that we have lost no friends by it, and 
 the missionaries here have been most kind and 
 nice, though sorely grieved. 
 
 October 28. 
 
 ON Monday Louis was feeling so ill that we 
 began to think nothing but a sea-trip 
 would set him up again; he had been thoroughly 
 overdone the day he had to give evidence before 
 the committee upon that distressing business I 
 have just mentioned. The meeting lasted from 
 6 p.m. to midnight, and Lou came home terribly 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 239 
 
 exhausted, and I do not think he has been well 
 ever since. However, we sent for the doctor, 
 who tried some new medicine ; and it did him so 
 much good that we hope the trip will not be 
 necessary in the meantime. 
 
 We are beginning now to enjoy the fruits of 
 our own planting. We have so many bananas 
 that we are feeding the cows partly on them, as 
 they improve the milk ; one cow gets six pounds 
 weight of bananas every day! Then we are 
 luxuriating in pineapples, as many as we can eat, 
 and the finest I have ever seen, so full of flavour 
 and so juicy ; I only wish we could send you a 
 share of them. There are plenty of barbedines 
 too, and the oranges are beginning to come in 
 again ; last year we never lacked them, but the 
 absence of a proper rainy season has caused a 
 sort of 'interregnum.' Fanny's garden is quite 
 the wonder of the neighbourhood now ; besides 
 the huge cabbages, she has enormous egg-plants ; 
 one day a whole egg-fruit was stuffed and baked, 
 and when it appeared at table we took it for a 
 bullock's heart ! Then the Cape gooseberries are 
 still supplying us with delightful tarts ; and our 
 flowers are coming on fast also. Some plants of 
 the gorgeous flamboyant are already fair-sized 
 bushes with a good many blossoms on them, and 
 when full-grown they will make large umbrella- 
 shaped trees, covered with enormous flowers of 
 of the most dazzling scarlet. We have a fine 
 gardenia now coming into bloom, and several 
 
24° LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 pretty creepers about the verandah ; one of them, 
 a jessamine, has grown most marvellously in the 
 short time since it was planted there. It is a 
 pleasure to watch the pretty things flourishing 
 and making themselves at home with us. 
 
 We have just had a visit from the captain of 
 the steamer on which little Austin (of whom we 
 have very good news) went away. He rode up 
 here on a horse that he borrowed in Apia ; it was 
 bigger than any riding-horses we had, a matter 
 of importance when I tell you that the captain 
 weighs twenty stone ! though he carries his 
 weight wonderfully well. Unfortunately some 
 of the natives told him it was a ' runaway horse,' 
 which is so far true that it did bolt and throw 
 its rider lately ; whereupon the worthy captain 
 absolutely declined to have anything more to do 
 with him. Louis, in the dilemna, offered him 
 our big cart-horse, which he accepted ; it was 
 most amusing to see him mount it from a step- 
 ladder, brought out from the house. Up this 
 went the great big man, and got on to the 
 great big horse, which straddled its hind legs 
 in the funniest way, as it settled under the 
 load. . . . 
 
 In connection with this visit we had a rather 
 curious experience. The day before we expected 
 the captain a pig was killed in his honour, and 
 hung up outside the kitchen door ; but when 
 morning came, lo and behold ! there was no pig 
 there. The question was, had any of our own 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 241 
 
 people stolen it ? And in order to impress them 
 with the enormity of such an offence, it was 
 thought right to hold a solemn inquiry in the 
 orthodox Samoan fashion. So Louis got Mr. 
 
 W to write out a suitable prayer for him in 
 
 Samoan, and a most impressive and touching one 
 I believe it was ; and in the evening the whole 
 household was called together in the dining-room. 
 Louis just read the prayer, and then each man 
 and woman in turn came forward and took 
 solemn oath, with one hand on the Bible, that he 
 or she had not taken the pig, and, knew nothing 
 whatever of the thief. They all made this 
 declaration with the utmost solemnity and with 
 
 every appearance of truth ; as G says, if 
 
 they were not telling the truth, they would 
 be invaluable (in some cases) as witnesses ! I 
 wonder whether we shall ever get the matter 
 cleared up. 
 
 The wood for the addition to the house has 
 arrived, and the road from Apia has been alive 
 with black boys and bullock-carts bringing it 
 up to Vailima. Yesterday afternoon the car- 
 penters arrved and took up their abode in the 
 stable ; and this morning they are all hard at 
 work, and already (9.30 a.m.) they have put up 
 a wooden shed with an iron roof for use as a 
 workshop, and sawing and hammering are going 
 on briskly. 
 
242 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 November 6. 
 
 ANOTHER little excitement which, according 
 b to some good folk, may prove a big one ! 
 Last Thursday we heard that an English man- 
 o'-war had come into harbour, and Louis at once 
 went down to visit her, and, if possible, find out 
 the reason for this unexpected visit. She turned 
 out to be the Ringarooma, from Auckjand, and 
 her officers don't know why she is here ; they 
 got telegraphic orders to come at once, and have 
 now to wait for further instructions. The captain 
 was very pleasant, so Lou promptly invited him 
 to dinner here ; while in Apia he had been shown 
 a German paper calling loudly for his (Lou's) 
 removal from the island, so in case the Ringa- 
 rooma has come to deport him, he thought he 
 might as well make friends with his future — well, 
 let us say fellow-passengers ! 
 
 I wish, however, we had been able to get a 
 little more information. The captain was very 
 nice, but knew nothing himself; he told us that 
 his vessel was not fitted for work amongst the 
 islands, but is specially intended for Australian 
 stations. For one thing, she requires to be 
 docked and have her bottom cleaned once in 
 every four months ! So he does not expect to 
 be kept here long ; at most probably for a month 
 or two, when another vessel will be sent to 
 relieve him. There are no middies on board 
 this boat, and indeed very few officers altogether, 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 243 
 
 so it is not quite such an acquisition to Apian 
 society as the Curapoa was. 
 
 November 8. 
 
 IT is quite true that a German paper demands 
 that Robert Louis Stevenson and ' all other 
 white meddlers ' should be at once removed from 
 Samoa. Consequently some people say that the 
 Ringarooma has actually come to take him away ; 
 others that it has come to protect him ; and still 
 others that its mission is to overawe the natives. 
 If amongst them all they have not hit upon the 
 truth, it will not be for want of variety in their 
 conjectures ! 
 
 Vailima, November 12. 
 
 YESTERDAY was a great day with us. As 
 Lou's birthday is on a Sunday this year, 
 
 and as G expects to sail in the Liibeck on 
 
 that day, it was determined to have a grand 
 celebration on Friday the nth, in honour of 
 
 the birthday, of G 's departure, and of the 
 
 completion of Talolo's new house. The feast 
 was to be a native one, and held in Talolo's 
 house, and the proceedings were to wind up 
 with a siva, or native dance, which would take 
 place in Lafaele's house. We invited a great 
 many Samoans, villagers from Tanugamanono, 
 relatives of our present household, that important 
 personage the ' meat missionary ' and his family, 
 and several who had formerly been with us, 
 
244 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 besides about twenty white friends who we 
 know would enjoy the sight. Well, you must 
 not imagine that such a feast is an affair of an 
 evening. 
 
 The first contingent, from Tanugamanono, 
 arrived about six in the morning with their 
 gifts ; they brought a pig, bread-fruit, fowls, taro, 
 fans, pieces of tapa, shell necklaces and wreaths. 
 Most of the presents were, of course, for Tusitala, 
 but with true Samoan courtesy no member of the 
 family was overlooked ; my share, for instance, 
 being a shell necklace and a fan. All these people 
 came prepared to spend the whole day (and did 
 so !), helping to cook the feast, and to decorate 
 the two native houses ; and really it seems to me 
 a most kind and reasonable arrangement. Singa, 
 Talolo's wife, presented a fine pig sent by her 
 family. Lafaele brought another small pig, all 
 ready cooked and beautifully decorated with 
 flowers, pigeons, taro, and eight very pretty 
 dishes made of coco-leaves and filled with a 
 very excellent sort of pudding made of taro and 
 coconut in some new combination. Besides these 
 pigs, we had ourselves provided a couple of the 
 ' inevitable beast,' a large hog and a smaller 
 one, both of our own raising ; and we had besides 
 a great quantity of fowls, ducks, and salt beef, 
 with any amount of bread-fruit, taro, palusami 
 (another preparation of taro and coconut), and 
 ship's biscuits. Talolo's house is a very long 
 one, and there was a thick belt of provisions all 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 245 
 
 the way down the centre of it, spread on green 
 leaves and decorated with flowers and many 
 bouquets sent to Louis from native friends. I 
 see I have omitted three very important items 
 of the menu : eels and prawns from our own 
 stream, and palolo, a very peculiar and highly 
 thought of Samoan delicacy, which I confess I 
 have not had the courage to taste. It consists 
 of long thin green worms, which come out of 
 the coral rocks in enormous quantities, but only 
 for three days in the year ; and always the same 
 days, strictly regulated by the moon. I have 
 never heard any explanation given of this fact, 
 but fact it is, and a well-known one in the South 
 Seas. It is a great ' ploy ' to the natives to go 
 pa/ofo-fishing, which begins at four o'clock in 
 the morning; and the creatures appear in such 
 quantities that they can be ladled out of the 
 water in bowlfuls, or with one's hands. In fact, 
 they make their appearance with such regularity, 
 that the 'palolo season ' is a recognised date, and 
 one that can be counted on. Lest you should 
 think they are eaten raw, I must add that they 
 are fried, and served in a green mass exactly 
 (to an uninformed observer) like a dish of 
 spinach. 
 
 To return to the feast ; each guest was pro- 
 vided with a plate and salt, these being the only 
 innovations on the regular Samoan habits. We 
 had not enough knives and forks to supply so 
 many ; so we all did without, and managed more 
 
246 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 comfortably than you would imagine. Our own 
 house-boys handed round the dishes, and by 
 special favour the European guests were allowed 
 a cocktail before the feast, though nothing save 
 coco-juice was served during its continuance. 
 After it was finished came the &K/<2-drinking, 
 with all the usual ceremonies ; several speeches 
 
 were made, one by Mr. H giving rise to 
 
 great discussion, as he described the day as 
 Tusitala's forty-third birthday. We protested 
 indignantly, but had to confess in the end that 
 he was right, if the first be counted ; we usually 
 only include the anniversaries, or completed 
 years. 
 
 When we withdrew our house-boys and some 
 other Samoans, for whom there had been no 
 room at first, had their innings, and then came 
 the grand division of the spoils ; this was 
 superintended by Talolo, and is a very serious 
 business, as the guests must each receive a share 
 proportionate to the gifts they had themselves 
 presented. I suppose it all went off well, as 
 they seemed very happy and contented ; and I 
 was reminded of the ' loaves and fishes ' at sight 
 of the baskets of fragments that remained after 
 so much eating. Then followed the siva, very 
 similar to the one I lately described to you. 
 The worst of Samoa is that the entertainments 
 never vary, so that once one has gone the round 
 there is little new to say about them. Feasts 
 are always more or less the same pigs, faro, and 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 247 
 
 coconut, plain and combined ; and a siva, well, 
 it is a siva wherever and whenever one sees it. 
 But some of our white guests had never come 
 across one, and were very pleased to have the 
 opportunity. 
 
 November 24. 
 
 is gone, and we all miss him sorely ; 
 
 in the three months that he has been 
 with us he has 'grown with the family,' and 
 our only consolation is that there is a chance 
 he may return. . . . 
 
 The addition to the house goes on briskly, 
 the carrying up of the wood came to an end 
 last Saturday, and we quite regret the troops 
 of black boys in their picturesque costumes 
 of bright scarlet and blue. Making a wooden 
 house seems a curiously simple affair ; the 
 foundations consist of a lot of boxes sunk into 
 the ground and filled with stones and concrete, 
 and planks laid down on the top of them. The 
 wood is all cut into proper lengths before it 
 arrives here, and it is put together very quickly ; 
 in fact, it seems to grow under one's eyes 
 in an amazing way. The floor of the lower 
 story is finished already, and we can walk about 
 on it and admire the size of our fine large sitting- 
 room; the outer planking, too, is finished all 
 the way up, but the upper floor is not laid, nor 
 the stair ascendable, so we must wait before we 
 can pay further visits. They are hurrying on 
 
248 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 the work, so as to get the roof on before the 
 wet season fairly sets in ; as it is, we have had 
 a good many very heavy showers, or downpours, 
 already. Perhaps in consequence we have all 
 been a little out of sorts lately : Lou tired and not 
 able for work ; Fanny bothered with one of her 
 heart attacks ; and myself feeling very done up. 
 
 For news I must fall back on some of our 
 most recent visitors. Asuelo, or Ahasuerus, the 
 house-boy who got up the first siva, and whose 
 Samoan name, by the way, is Le Fau, is now 
 our family poet-laureate. He has composed 
 songs descriptive of the whole family, one say- 
 ing farewell to G , and many others ; and 
 
 he and his wife came on Tuesday evening to 
 pay us a formal visit, and to sing his songs to 
 us. I wish I could give you any idea of the 
 effect. The air of the farewell was most sad 
 and plaintive, and Lou said very reminiscent of 
 Highland ' farewells ' in the same style ; but I 
 could not get any translation of the words, and 
 had to take them on trust. Our next visitors 
 were clerical — of sorts. First, two very nice 
 Roman Catholic priests came to lunch ; and 
 next day we had another ministerial visitor, a 
 Methodist native pastor, whose name is 'Tale 
 Papalanga ' (foreign house). He was dressed in 
 white, with shoes and stockings, like a white 
 missionary ; and he was a very fine benevolent- 
 looking man, with beautiful and simple manners. 
 He was accompanied by his son and daughter, 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 249 
 
 and two attendants. He made a long speech 
 to Tusitala, saying that he had heard much 
 about him, that he had heard he loved Faifeaus 
 (ministers), and always had lotu (worship) in 
 his house, and so he had brought his son, and 
 begged that Tusitala would take him as one 
 of his boys. Louis replied that at present he 
 could not take any new boys, as the wet season 
 was coming on, when there was little work to 
 do ; but he promised to send for the lad when- 
 ever he had room for him. The name, Josepha, 
 and the address were duly written down, to the 
 old father's complete satisfaction ; and we then 
 showed our guests over the house, to their great 
 enjoyment. When Tale Papalanga saw the old 
 oak cupboard in my room with the date 1634 
 upon it, he said surely it must be as old as 
 Noah ! And the daughter held on to my hand 
 all the time, with a trusting sort of feeling, I 
 fancy, that I would take care of her in the midst 
 of such strange sights. After this we gave them 
 kava, and sent the good kindly people happy 
 away. That reminds me that I wish you could 
 see me o' mornings, marching all round the house 
 on the verandah, ringing the bell for prayers. 
 When I reach the back verandah, besides ring- 
 ing I call out Lotu, lotu ! and the boys and girls, 
 wherever they are, call out Lotu, lotu ! in answer. 
 It sounds very quaint and pretty. One thing 
 more, less edifying, about lotu ; the London 
 Society missionaries came here from Tahiti, and 
 
250 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 their teaching is therefore called by the Samoans 
 lotu Tahiti; while the Methodists came from 
 Tonga, so their teaching is lotu Tonga. Merci- 
 fully they are on good terms with each other, 
 and I confess I hope there cannot be serious 
 difference in their beliefs. 
 
 We had the pleasure of a new and most 
 picturesque (if temporary) table-boy the other 
 morning. The day's supplies of meat had been 
 brought up by two little boys, and Talolo pressed 
 one of them into service ; he was a handsome 
 little fellow about eight years old, with his head 
 entirely shaved save for a belt of short black 
 hair about two inches wide down the very centre. 
 He wore a spotless white lava- lava, and walked 
 with the dignity of a little king ; you should 
 have seen the air with which he carried across 
 from the cookhouse a dish with a cover on it 
 shining (for once !) like silver, and set it down 
 on the table with perfect grace and self-posses^ 
 sion. He was really altogether delightful. 
 
 December I. 
 
 WE spent most of Sunday inspecting and 
 gloating over our new premises, which 
 are now roofed in. The upper floor is laid and 
 a temporary stair put up, so that we can go 
 where we like ; and we are all delighted with 
 the new apartments. An open staircase, six feet 
 wide, will lead from the lanai to the upper flat ; 
 and there is also to be a flying bridge leading 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 251 
 
 from Louis's new workroom to the verandah of 
 the present house, in case any one wishes to 
 escape without descending to the hall below. 
 The new verandah is all laid now, and the roof 
 being put on — on the lower floor, that is ; there 
 is to be no verandah upstairs except a small one 
 let in, loggia fashion, to my sitting-room, with 
 sliding doors such as I have now. 
 
 The time is drawing very near for my depar- 
 ture, and I shall soon be on my way home to 
 you. As far as I know yet, I shall leave on 
 New Year's Day in the Liibeck for Sydney ; 
 pay a few visits in Australia, and probably sail 
 in the homeward - bound Orient steamer in 
 March ; but I shall write again before starting, 
 of course, as a letter will reach you, vi& San 
 Francisco, long before I shall be more than 
 halfway. 
 
 Vailima, December n, 1892. 
 
 IN exactly three weeks from to-day I sail for 
 home ; how near it comes. I only hope to 
 get through the time all right, for jusf at present 
 we are a sick and sorry household, all of us more 
 or less out of sorts. It has been very wet, and 
 perhaps we have got cold; anyway, whatever 
 the cause, Fanny and Lloyd have ulcerated sore 
 throats, and I have a cough, with a good deal of 
 pain and sleeplessness. I think it is yielding 
 to treatment, but I am particularly anxious to 
 get quite well before I start. 
 
2sz LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 December 1 5. 
 
 I BEG AN to laugh before I was out of the 
 wood, and had scarcely written the above 
 paragraph before I broke down completely. 
 Since then I have had smart feverish fits, and 
 though they seem to be better, am most dis- 
 tressingly weak. How my packing is to be 
 achieved under the circumstances seems to me a 
 hard nut to crack. 
 
 In spite of our ailments we have not been 
 without visitors ; indeed, we have been quite ' a 
 home for the homeless ' in times of difficulty. 
 
 The C s had to send away their little boy 
 
 on account of the illness of a visitor, so Fanny 
 invited him to come here ; and I wish you could 
 have seen his arrival. It was a very wet day, 
 and quite a procession became apparent, advanc- 
 ing through the rain ; two men were carrying a 
 sort of palanquin contrived out of the child's 
 box, and an erection of sugar-canes. Within 
 this cage (which had no roof) sat the little boy, 
 wrapped in his mother's waterproof; and his 
 native nurse walked beside him and held up an 
 umbrella over his head. It was most regal, and 
 very funny. He is a nice little fellow, very 
 good and quiet, and strangely enough, he is 
 absolutely the first child that has ever stayed in 
 Lou's house. 
 
 The next additions to our household were the 
 
 F s, mother and daughter. They have taken 
 
 a cottage not very far from here, which has no 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 253 
 
 glass in its windows, only adjustable shutters ; 
 thus in wet weather they are compelled to sit in 
 almost total darkness if they wish to keep the 
 rain out. Lou thought this very dull work, and 
 asked them to come here for a couple of days ; 
 and really they have greatly cheered us up, Mrs. 
 F , a delightful old lady, keeping us enter- 
 tained with most amusing stories. To-day Lloyd 
 
 and Miss F went off to visit the banana 
 
 patch and the cacaos together ; but as the hours 
 passed with no sign of their return we began to 
 be afraid lest they had lost themselves in the 
 bush, and finally sent off all the boys to hunt 
 in different directions. Henry accompanied one 
 party, having armed himself with his clarionet, 
 on which, as he explained, he would play re- 
 assuring harmonies that would guide home the 
 strayed ones. Unfortunately he is not quite as 
 completely master of his instrument as he thinks, 
 and when his performances reached the ears of 
 the wanderers on their way back, they thought 
 they were the screeches either of some unfamiliar 
 wild animal, or of some equally untamed black 
 boys, and they hid among the trees till they 
 could find out which it was ! ! As to themselves, 
 they had never exactly been lost, but had wan- 
 dered too far and were obliged to return by 
 the bed of a river, which in this land of water- 
 falls and rapids is not easy work. They say 
 they came across so many watercourses that 
 ' Vailima ' seems to be no misnomer after all. 
 
254 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 December 18. 
 
 LAST Sunday, by the way, when Louis and 
 ^ I were both ill, there was a great discus- 
 sion as to who should read prayers. Lloyd was 
 willing to undertake the chapter in Samoan, but 
 did not feel equal to the prayer ; so I suggested 
 that the chapter and hymn might for once be 
 sufficient. Lloyd thereupon went to interview 
 Yopo, who is our ' precentor ' at present ; and 
 when he heard of our difficulty, he immediately 
 undertook both the prayer and the hymn, and 
 thus solved the difficulty. Moreover, it was, I 
 believe, a really beautiful prayer that he made, 
 and he did not forget to ask that Tusitala and 
 the Tamaitai Matua might soon be better ; and 
 one petition was very touching, that they, the 
 boys, 'might all be truly grateful for the love 
 and kindness with which they were treated.' Is 
 not that a rather wonderful sort of kitchen-boy 
 to possess ? 
 
 Nevertheless, I do not pretend that they have 
 not other qualities, the failings and foibles of 
 children, as in many respects they are. They 
 are, for instance, so fond of wearing any old 
 clothes on which they can lay their hands that I 
 generally burn my old caps ; but the other day, 
 being in a hurry, I threw one all crumpled up 
 into my waste-paper basket. The next day, when 
 the pack-horses arrived with provisions from 
 Apia, you may fancy our laughter when one of 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 255 
 
 the boys appeared proudly decorated with my 
 cap ! He evidently thinks it very fine, as he has 
 worn it ever since, and is so pleased with his 
 adornment that we have not had the heart to 
 interfere. 
 
 The new house is now very nearly done, so 
 far, at least, as the main building work is con- 
 cerned. The fine hall will be a delightful place, 
 48 feet long by 38 feet wide; at first only the 
 under part of the stair was to be open, but now 
 it is to be open all the way up, and the effect will 
 be very good. In spite of much yet to be done, 
 the rooms will soon be usable ; and Belle is 
 determined ' fither or no' ' to move in from Pine- 
 apple Cottage before the rains fairly begin, so as 
 to avoid the soaking that even that very short 
 journey frequently entails. 
 
 December 29. 
 
 CHRISTMAS past, and the New Year very 
 close at hand ! And my packing still not 
 half done ! ! I had to go to Apia one day, and 
 was decidedly the worse of my excursion ; could 
 not sleep for coughing, and felt miserably ill and 
 weak. We sent to the doctor for medicine, 
 which Lou has already had and liked, and it 
 relieved me greatly ; but it is very annoying to 
 be so ill and useless just when I am starting 
 home, and have so much to do. If I had only 
 started in November, as I first intended, I should 
 have been all right. 
 
256 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 Well, the 'hall' was finished in a temporary 
 way in time for the Tree, which we had on Mon- 
 day the 26th ; and the lower flight of the new 
 stairs was ready too, which proved, as you will 
 hear, a great convenience. We had very few 
 white guests, as some of our friends were away 
 
 from home ; only Mrs. F and her daughter, 
 
 and Mr. and Mrs. G , besides all the mem- 
 bers of our household and their relatives. The 
 tree, you must know, had taken quite a lot of 
 ingenious contriving ; it consisted of a post fixed 
 in a solid foundation, and pierced with holes 
 through which were stuck branches of the ' iron- 
 wood.' This is distinctly like fir, at least in its 
 foliage ; and the effect was capital, and gave one 
 a strange sensation so far from home. 
 
 The post, lest it should be seen between 
 the branches, was thickly covered with scarlet 
 hibiscus blooms, which looked lovely in them- 
 selves ; and of course there were plenty of lights 
 and bright things, which made a very gay and 
 pretty effect. 
 
 As usual, the guests arrived early, and about 
 our dinner-time a message was brought in that 
 twenty-two people were waiting to be fed ! So 
 you see one has to be prepared for sudden 
 demands on the larder here on any, and I might 
 almost say every, occasion. By seven o'clock it 
 was dark enough to light up, and when we had 
 taken our places on the new stairs, which made 
 a splendid 'dress circle' for the occasion, the 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 257 
 
 gong was sounded, and the rest trooped in and 
 sat down upon the floor. Lloyd began to cut 
 down the gifts and distribute them, with little 
 jokes that were hugely appreciated ; but which, 
 being in Samoan, conveyed nothing to me. 
 There was something for every one. Mrs. 
 
 F is deeply interested in ornithology, so 
 
 she got a squeaking bird, carefully labelled with 
 
 the fine Latin name of a dodo ; and Miss F 
 
 had a neat little packet of imaginary love-letters 
 full of most amusing allusions. But the excite- 
 ment of the boys over their gifts was really 
 touching. One called Missi Folo, who has been 
 working very well lately, and deserved a reward, 
 got a knife, which delighted him very much ; 
 but when by and by a concertina also was 
 handed to him, he just stood up and gasped, his 
 eyes blazing with joy, and yet scarcely able to 
 believe in his good fortune. I never saw more 
 intense and simple happiness in all my life ; and 
 when ' the party ' was over I could not help say- 
 ing, ' Well, I must confess, Lou really does his 
 best to act up to his own gospel, that while it is 
 our duty to be good ourselves, our duty to our 
 neighbour is to make him happy ! ' 
 
 December 31. 
 
 ONE last story of Vailima before I close. 
 As the F s had been again forced to 
 
 take refuge with us, Lou and Fanny moved into 
 the new house to make room ; so that it is 
 
258 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 occupied, if not finished, before my departure — 
 quicker work than we had dared to hope for. 
 Sosimo was helping with the flitting, and when 
 the work was over Louis sat down to rest, and 
 sighed for a cigarette, without feeling sufficiently 
 energetic either to go or send for tobacco. At 
 that very moment Sosimo appeared with all that 
 Louis had just been longing for. Quel e le potu, 
 said Lou gratefully, How great is the wisdom ! 
 and he was deeply touched with the quick reply, 
 How great is the love / 
 
 My cough is still bad, and I feel very far from 
 well. Some days I have been forbidden to 
 speak at all, and have been known in the family 
 as ' The Silent Woman ' ; but I have no doubt 
 the voyage will set me up. At any rate the 
 excitement of departure will act as a stimulus, I 
 hope, and get me safely off, and the rest I leave 
 to Providence. And that seems, surely, a good 
 word wherewith to close ! 
 
 S.S. ' Liibeck,' January 1893. 
 
 I SHALL write this to post at Sydney, and 
 you may take it as the last of this series of 
 letters ; as henceforward my fortnightly epistles 
 will be of a short and commonplace nature, and 
 if anything very interesting happens, you must 
 live in hope — until we meet ! — for further 
 details. 
 
 I don't in the least remember how I finished 
 my last letter; my head was in such a whirl, 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 259 
 
 what with weakness, want of sleep, and the 
 bustle of departure, that it all seems like a very 
 confused dream. At any rate, it was about 
 5 p.m. on Saturday (Hogmanay) when, after 
 having given the boys their parting gift of a 
 lava-lava and a half-dollar each, Fanny and I 
 set out for Apia, and I said good-bye, with 
 rather a heavy heart, to Vailima. Louis had 
 gone on before us ; but when we met again at 
 
 Mr. H *s house we were distressed to find 
 
 him very far from well, and evidently in for a 
 severe cold. He wanted to ride home after 
 dinner, but we persuaded him to stay in town 
 till next day ; the night air in the bush is often 
 dangerous, especially during, or soon after, damp 
 weather. At 12 p.m. I was awakened by a 
 tremendous din, and at first could not think 
 what it might be ; till I suddenly remembered 
 that '93 had just come in, and the Liibeck was 
 firing her guns, and sending up rockets in honour 
 of the ' little stranger.' I would have liked to 
 go straight to Lou and wish him the ' luck o' the 
 year ' ; but I was afraid to venture, on the 
 chance — a very remote 'one, as it seemed to me ! 
 — that he was not awake. In the morning I 
 was very glad I had been so prudent, as he 
 actually slept right through the whole racket! 
 Unfortunately he was no better, and his cold 
 was so heavy that we felt it would not be safe 
 for him to stay and see me off; so as soon as 
 breakfast was over we sent him home, with 
 
260 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 orders to put himself straight to bed. It was 
 rather an anxious parting, for me! 
 
 At eleven o'clock we came off to the Lilbeck 
 
 in Mr. H 's boat, with its smart crew looking 
 
 very nice in their scarlet lava-lavas and white 
 shirts. The first person I met on board was 
 the doctor from Apia, and you may imagine my 
 surprise when he quietly informed me that I had 
 just come through a moderately severe attack 
 of influenza ! and might be very thankful I had 
 not been worse. It seems that many people in 
 Apia are down with it, and the German consul 
 is so weak that he cannot stand upright. No 
 wonder I felt so sick and useless, and so unlike 
 an ordinary ' colded ' condition ; and oh ! I do 
 hope Lou won't have it badly. Of course, I 
 shall be exceedingly anxious till I hear how 
 he is. 
 
 My party soon went on shore, but I had 
 several visitors who came off to say good- 
 bye, bringing me quantities of flowers and fruit ; 
 
 Mrs. C in particular gave me a basket full 
 
 of the lovely crimson hibiscus that she knew 
 I am so fond of. I said to her, ' There are just 
 two things I cannot realise just now : one, that 
 this is New Year's Day ; the other, that it is 
 Sunday.' I had scarcely made the remark when 
 I was informed that it was neither. The Lilbeck 
 keeps Australian time, while Samoa, as I told 
 you a while ago, reckons by San Francisco ; so, 
 although in politeness she saluted the Samoan 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 261 
 
 New Year, as soon as we stepped on the Liibeck's 
 deck we found ourselves in Monday, the 2nd of 
 January. It was an odd and rather topsy-turvy 
 experience. 
 
 I am very comfortable, and rather thankful that 
 there are at present only two other passengers ; 
 so that there are no calls on my politeness, and 
 I can give myself conscientiously over to getting 
 well again. It is very hot, and we get little air, 
 as the wind is behind us. I spend most of the 
 time on the upper deck under the awning, and 
 sleep a great deal. No doubt the heat, and the 
 weakness, for I still feel thoroughly pulled down, 
 are the cause of my drowsiness ; and I feel sure 
 that such a thorough rest will soon put me all 
 right. 
 
 On Thursday morning we had a very exciting 
 episode ... to me, at least ; though it is not 
 an uncommon one, of course, at sea. About 
 3 a.m. I heard a great shouting and running 
 about, and hurried out of my cabin to see what 
 had happened. It was a ' man overboard.' . . . 
 The ship was stopped and a boat lowered very 
 quickly, and it began to make a circuit in the 
 direction in which he had been last seen ; but 
 to us on deck he was quite invisible, and as 
 some one reported that he could not swim, there 
 seemed little chance of saving him in that waste 
 of waters — not to speak of sharks. The Liibeck 
 began to move round to meet the boat, and 
 I felt very sick at heart and gave up all hope. 
 
262 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 I was just going below to avoid the pain of 
 seeing them return, unsuccessful, when Peters, 
 my cabin-steward, rushed up to me and cried, 
 'They've got him, they've got him! he's just 
 got into the boat ! ' And sure enough, when I 
 looked again, there was an extra man sitting 
 quietly with the others as if nothing had 
 happened. I could not help waving my hand- 
 kerchief in token of welcome as they drew near, 
 but that was positively the only symptom of 
 rejoicing that a life had been spared. The man 
 helped to pull the boat up, and stepped on 
 board as if he had been out on ordinary duty, 
 and not one of his companions shook hands with 
 him, or raised the vestige of a cheer. It seemed 
 incomprehensible to me, and I longed to have my 
 Vailima bell, and call out Lotu, lotu. . . . 
 
 When I spoke to the captain about it later, 
 he declared that it does not do to make these 
 pranks too agreeable, or they may occur oftener 
 than is desirable ! and added, ' The man may con- 
 sider himself lucky that he has not been punished 
 for his carelessness,' — I suppose in tumbling 
 overboard. It appears that he can swim, and 
 his only, or chief, danger was from sharks, as 
 the captain had him in sight all the time from the 
 bridge, and was directing the boat. It did not 
 take more than fifteen minutes altogether, and 
 was very exciting ; and fortunately, . . . all's well 
 that ends well. 
 
 Yesterday, the ioth, we had a fine view of 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 263 
 
 Lord Howe's Island, which is really very impres- 
 sive. At first it is seen rising out of the water 
 like an enormous Bell Rock Lighthouse — a very 
 unromantic comparison, but it was forcibly sug- 
 gested to my mind ; later on it widened out, and 
 finished in two grand peaks, round the base of 
 which are piled a profusion of extraordinary 
 rocks that are shaped like sea-lions and other 
 strange monsters of the deep, and seem to guard 
 the island from approach. Truly, they look for- 
 bidding enough to incline one to keep at a safe 
 distance. . . . 
 
 Sydney, January 15, 1892. 
 
 ARRIVED safe and well; and good news 
 w from my dear people at Vailima. They 
 are all better, and Louis is coming over in the 
 next boat, with Fanny and Belle. I am so glad, 
 for it was doubly hard to leave him when he 
 looked so ill; whereas once I have seen him, 
 as I hope, completely set up by the voyage, 
 I shall be able to set out with an easy mind 
 on my long journey towards home . . . and you ! 
 
PART II 
 
 AFTER a year's happy stay in Scotland, 
 Mrs. Stevenson started on her return to 
 Samoa in April 1894. The letters written at 
 sea are omitted, as they practically repeat those 
 of her earlier voyage ; while from her Australian 
 correspondence only such extracts are given as 
 seem to have interest in themselves, or that lead 
 up to her arrival in Apia. 
 
 To explain some allusions it must be added 
 that since she had left the island Samoa had 
 passed into a state of serious unrest ; the home 
 papers were full of threatening rumours, and the 
 latest news before she sailed was far from 
 reassuring. In fact, it was not till she fairly 
 landed at Apia that she knew whether she 
 was to find there peace or war ; as she herself 
 says, an armed and guarded hotel, or a free 
 and open road home to Vailima. But her 
 anxiety was tempered by her knowledge of the 
 tendency of public rumour to exaggerate, and 
 by her confidence in the Samoan's love for 
 Tusitala. 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 265 
 
 Sydney, May 20, 1894. 
 
 HERE we are once more in our old quarters, 
 with the first part of our long voyage 
 safely at an end. We landed at Adelaide on 
 Monday, a lovely bright day, though cold after 
 the tropics ; everything was brilliantly green and 
 refreshing !to the eye after so many weeks of 
 sun and sea and sky. On Wednesday morning 
 at 4 a.m. I was wakened by the anchor dropping 
 at Melbourne ; there was little more sleep to be 
 had, and before long we were all ordered to 
 get up and make ready for the sanitary officer's 
 inspection. We had a long day on shore, seeing 
 many friends; and in the evening we returned 
 on board and started for Sydney. I was very 
 glad to get here ; it seemed quite homelike to be 
 recognised and remembered, and to find myself 
 among 'kent fouk.' You know I am not alone ; 
 
 without counting G , who will soon be off to 
 
 New Zealand, Miss B 1 is here also, which 
 
 I find exceedingly pleasant. She and I think of 
 going together to the Blue Mountains, and expect 
 to start on Wednesday. 
 
 Mount Victoria, May 26. 
 
 AS the train which is to take us on to Ka- 
 .. toomba does not start for two hours, I am 
 filling up the time by writing to you. We came 
 
 1 Mr. Graham Balfour had come out with Mrs. Stevenson and intended 
 
 to revisit Samoa ; Miss B was a very pleasant and much-appreciated 
 
 fellow-passenger. — Ed. 
 
266 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 here on Wednesday, and found the hotel very 
 comfortable ; but the cold was great, which was 
 not astonishing, as we had ascended three 
 thousand three hundred feet in three hours and 
 a half. On Thursday morning we started in an 
 open conveyance, wrapped in every warm ' hap ' 
 that we possessed ; mercifully the wind had gone 
 down since the day before, so we just managed 
 to endure the keen air without too much dis- 
 comfort. We drove thirty-six miles through the 
 Blue Mountains, and I cannot imagine anything 
 much more lovely ; the views on every side were 
 charming, and I could not get over the splen- 
 dour of the foliage in midwinter. When I 
 remarked on this to our driver, he said, ' We 'd 
 be thankful to see the leaves drop ; we get sick 
 of these everlasting, unchanging Blue Gums ! ' 
 The air is deliciously aromatic, and though 
 cold, it becomes hot the instant the sun shines 
 out. 
 
 We lunched at a halfway house, and reached 
 our bourne, the Jenolan Caves, at 3 p.m. ; and 
 though we meekly confessed to being pretty 
 tired, we were at once ordered off to visit one of 
 them. We had to take off our good dresses and 
 
 get the loan of dirty old clothes ; Miss B 
 
 wore a pyjama suit, and made a very nice boy, 
 but I absolutely declined to go to that length of 
 juvenility. In consequence I was enveloped 
 in a dreadful skirt that made me look like some 
 disreputable old charwoman. (As I wrote the 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 267 
 
 above Miss B broke in with, 'Oh, much 
 
 worse than that ! you looked like one of those 
 beggar-women on the street, for your skirt was 
 pinned over the wrong way and displayed the 
 " spare," bound with rusty black, not to speak of 
 quite twelve inches deep .of yellow mud all 
 round the bottom ! ' I said, ' Why did you let 
 me go such a figure ? ' And she calmly replied, 
 ' Because if / had to go in trousers, I was deter- 
 mined that you should not look too respectable ! ' 
 You must bear in mind that we were accom- 
 panied by two very nice young men, students, 
 who were travelling round the world, and looked 
 as spick and span as we were . . . otherwise. 
 I am not sure that I don't regret the pyjama suit 
 after all ; it couldn't have been worse !) 
 
 The cave was certainly most beautiful, with 
 every variety of wonderful things in it ; cathedral 
 arches, vaulted and fretted roofs, and lovely little 
 shrines that only lacked a statue to make them 
 quite complete. There were statues too, and no 
 mean ones, but unluckily none in quite the right 
 places. One figure was extraordinarily like the 
 Madonna with the Child in her arms ; indeed, 
 this cave used to be called the Madonna Cave, 
 but, as the guide quietly observed, ' when Lord 
 Carrington came here they thought more of him 
 than of the Madonna, so now it is called the 
 Carrington Cave ! ' In one place there is a 
 stretch of rock known as The Shawls ; it looks 
 like the finest Shetland knitting, with striped 
 
268 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 borders. You can actually see the ridges, and I 
 had to feel it to convince myself it was not real 
 wool. I believe the coloured stripes are made 
 by iron in the rock. It was really hard work 
 going through the cave ; we climbed up and 
 down steep stairs and had frequently to stoop 
 nearly double, while twice over we had to crawl 
 some distance on hands and knees. At these 
 
 parts Miss B (who was behind me) declares 
 
 that she lay down on the ground and wept with 
 delight over the picture I presented, and the 
 groans that escaped from me ! I assure you, 
 however, that in the end I was thankful even for 
 the beggar's skirt, when I discovered how my 
 petticoat was torn into ribbons by such usage. 
 It took us two and a half hours to go through, 
 which, after a mountain drive of thirty-six miles, 
 is really not bad for the old lady, you '11 agree. 
 . . . We were both dreadfully tired when it 
 was over, but a good night's rest quite set us up 
 again. 
 
 Yesterday we ought by rights to have visited 
 three more caves, but I thought I should do very 
 well if I achieved only one. So we took the 
 advice of the young men who had gone with us 
 the day before ; and as they warned us that the 
 largest cave, called the Lucas, is hard work 
 and very fatiguing, we decided to content our- 
 selves with the Right Imperial. We enjoyed 
 it very much ; some of the effects were even 
 more striking than in the cave we had already 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 269 
 
 visited, and there were some particularly beauti- 
 ful 'minarets' and cloisters. It is a very fine 
 sight, all lit up by electric light ; and one realises 
 what ages must have gone to the formation of 
 these labyrinths, when recent scientific observa- 
 tion declares that it takes one hundred years to 
 deposit the thickness of an egg-shell. . . . 
 
 June 2. 
 
 AT Katoomba we spent a very pleasant Sun- 
 L day and found some nice people. There 
 were tremendously high waterfalls, too, but owing 
 to the dry weather they had shrunk to very 
 small proportions ; and we had only a poor view 
 of them from above, as I declined to venture 
 down the almost precipitous paths. The way in 
 which the land falls away from these great cliffs 
 is very remarkable ; the valley is filled with 
 great wooded billows — I can find no better word 
 — on which the play of light and shade is 
 wonderful. The vegetation, of course, is very 
 rich, and all along the streams there is a splendid 
 growth of ferns, with quantities of maidenhair ; 
 and whether it be from the eucalyptus foliage 
 or not, the Blue Mountains are certainly very 
 beautifully blue, though quite different in tone to 
 our ' purple hills ' in Scotland. I was interested 
 to be told by an artist that the tint is actually 
 different in composition, much colder, and more 
 of an indigo, so it is not a matter of individual 
 opinion only. 
 
270 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 Since we have got back I have been 'seeing 
 the sights ' of Sydney as I never did before, and 
 enjoying them greatly. To-day, after church, 
 I went into the public gardens to admire the 
 camelias and other flowers ; and coming home 
 through the Domain I found the usual speechi- 
 fying, of which I wrote to you on my first visit, 
 going on. In fact, I thought it had grown even 
 a little more various ! I listened for a while to 
 two who preached the Gospel to the best, no 
 doubt, of their ability ; a third, who inveighed 
 against a proposed tax on buildings ; a fourth 
 (and he had the largest crowd of all), attacking 
 the government for allowing two men to be 
 hanged yesterday ; a fifth, lecturing in favour of 
 total abstinence ; and a sixth who upheld what 
 he called 'conditional immortality.' I have no 
 doubt I could have largely added to this list, 
 as there were plenty others ; but by this time my 
 interest — and my legs — gave out. 
 
 I had a letter from Lou last week in which 
 he said he thought the war was at an end, but 
 I was distressed to see in the papers yesterday 
 that the New Zealand steamer had brought 
 news of a renewal of the fighting. I am afraid 
 they are not likely to be misinformed, but I will 
 not let myself believe it altogether. Louis told 
 me he had gone on board the Curagoa and 
 asked the captain if he thought it quite safe for 
 me to come ; to which he received the cheerful 
 reply, ' Oh yes, because if there is any danger, 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 271 
 
 I shall put all the ladies in one of the hotels, 
 and send the marines ashore to guard them ! ' 
 I don't at all like the prospect of living in the 
 midst of war, so I sincerely trust it may be at 
 an end before I reach Samoa. But, as you 
 know, I cannot bring myself to believe that 
 Lou, or any of his folk, will be in serious danger 
 from the natives. 
 
 June 10. 
 
 I SAIL for Samoa to-morrow at 4 p.m., and 
 have still much to see to before I leave. 
 I was greatly surprised when Lou said in his 
 last letter, ' No word of the furniture l yet.' 
 Thinking something must be far wrong, I set 
 out to make inquiries, and at last discovered 
 that it had been lying here since January, in a 
 bonded warehouse, for which attention I have 
 to pay heavily ! I can't understand about it, 
 no one seems to have written to any agent to 
 see it through. Now I am arranging that it 
 is to go in the same boat with me, but I fear 
 it will be a very expensive luxury before it 
 reaches Vailima. And I am beginning to 
 wonder, if we arrive in the midst of war, 
 what we are going to do with it when we get 
 there ! 
 
 1 Mrs. Stevenson had despatched to Samoa the furniture of her house 
 in Heriot Row some months before her own departure. — Ed. 
 
272 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 S.S. ' Monowai,' June 13. 
 
 HOW pleasant it is to feel myself fairly on 
 the way to rejoin my dear boy . . . and 
 with the furniture, so to speak, in my pocket, 
 too! I am still triumphant in getting it off 
 under my own eyes ; the people made lots of 
 difficulties, but . . . here it is ! Now we have 
 settled down to the usual amenities of a fine 
 voyage, with nothing to tell that I have not 
 often told you before. We have pleasant fellow- 
 passengers, a nice captain, and much warmer 
 weather already, at which I rejoice. . . . 
 
 At Auckland we picked up Lloyd, but G 
 
 had already tired of New Zealand, and gone on 
 to Samoa ; and as soon as we started once more, 
 we came out into a regular storm, which has 
 continued for several days. The sea is very 
 high, with splendid waves washing over the 
 deck continually, and pouring down into alley- 
 ways and every open space ; there were three 
 feet of water in the captain's cabin, I hear, some- 
 where about 3 a.m. this morning! Meanwhile 
 I have the place to myself, no other ladies are 
 visible, and few men. I must confess walking, 
 is neither easy nor dignified ; and between you 
 and me and the post, I came down the com- 
 panion stairs to-day (no one being in sight), in 
 the way children love, sitting and sliding from 
 step to step ! 
 
 Poor Lloyd is one of the victims, and as he 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 273 
 
 has another man in his cabin, I cannot go and 
 visit him ; but I think he is not very bad. By 
 the way, I seized the first opportunity to ask him 
 about the furniture, but found myself none the 
 wiser ; he ' thought some one had been written 
 to,' but I suspect my unpractical children of 
 having forgotten all about it ! it is a good thing 
 I am going back to look after them. . . . 
 
 June 20. 
 
 THE storm moderated soon after I last 
 wrote, though the sea still remained very 
 high ; however, the captain relieved us by say- 
 ing he would not now have to beat about till 
 the wind went down, but could go straight into 
 harbour when we reach Apia early to-morrow. 
 I wonder what we shall find : war and a guarded 
 hotel, or peace and an open road to Vailima ? 
 You are probably wiser and better informed at 
 this moment than I. That is the worst of sea- 
 voyages, but this one of mine has at last come 
 to an end. 
 
 Vailima, June 24, 1894. 
 
 HOME at last! We reached Apia at 8.30 
 a.m. on Thursday 21st. It was a lovely 
 morning, and everything was looking its very 
 best; it quite warmed my heart to hear how 
 all the passengers admired it, and how many 
 envied me the privilege of living there. But 
 when the boat came off, I was sorely disap- 
 
274 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 pointed to see neither Louis nor Fanny in it ; 
 poor Lou had a cold and was still in his room, 
 so, of course, had not been able to get down. 
 
 Then, too, Mr. H was ill, and could not 
 
 come for me in his fine boat, so my arrival was 
 shorn of its glory. With as little delay as 
 possible I mounted and set off for Vailima; it 
 seemed strange to find the road so altered that 
 I scarcely recognised it. In some ways it is 
 improved, as a tolerably good road now comes to 
 within a mile of us ; and at one point the clear- 
 ing of the bush opens out a very fine view of 
 wooded hills, that might well be in Scotland. 
 I fancy it is only the change I object to, I had 
 looked forward to every step of the way home 
 being so familiar. 
 
 Vailima itself, however, looked very homelike, 
 especially when Louis met me on the verandah 
 He is a good deal pulled down by this cold, 
 which has been a severe one, and looks fagged 
 and weak ; but they all tell me he is very much 
 better, and Fanny (who has been ill too) is much 
 more nearly herself again than I expected, which 
 is a comfort. But the main thing is, that here I 
 am with my dear children once more ; and I find 
 it hard to realise that I have been a year at 
 home with you. All the more so, as I am still 
 in my old room ; the new one can't be occupied 
 till the furniture arrives, and at present I suppose 
 it is reposing somewhere on 'the beach.' That 
 furniture is the talk of the town. The middies 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 275 
 
 declare that such cases, for size, were never seen 
 in Apia before, and that when the largest was 
 brought ashore, the majority of the population 
 were gathered round to watch, and saluted it with 
 cheers ! We hope the German firm will bring it 
 up this week, but Fanny is going down to-morrow 
 morning to make definite arrangements. 
 
 And in the meantime, what can I tell you 
 about Samoan affairs ? The two parties are still 
 armed, and camping out in the bush, which must 
 be very bad for them, poor bodies, in the wet 
 weather they have had here lately ; but you need 
 have no fears about us, we are far from the dis- 
 turbed district, and really hear little or nothing of 
 what goes on unless a wounded man is brought 
 into hospital. What is most to be feared is the 
 risk of famine, as a great deal of food has been 
 destroyed, principally, I believe, by the royal 
 troops. Already coconuts, taro, etc., are being 
 stolen in the close neighbourhood of Apia, but I 
 am glad to say that no one has laid hands as yet 
 on anything belonging to Tusitala. Lou hoped 
 that the Admiral's visit might have had a good 
 result, but he seems very anxious to keep clear 
 of Samoan affairs — perhaps has been instructed 
 to do so, officially. At any rate (and if not true, 
 it's a good story and not unlikely) we heard 
 that a certain Foreign Office official, after reading 
 Lou's letter to the Times, wrung his hands and 
 said, ' I 'm sure I wish they would give him 
 Samoa, and let him do what he likes with it ! ' 
 
276 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 July 1. 
 
 WE have had a week of hard work. The 
 furniture was brought up on Monday 
 and Tuesday ; the German firm undertook the 
 job and managed it splendidly. They used 
 twelve carts with two bullocks to each, and at 
 the bad parts of the road had a lot of black 
 boys ready to ' push behind.' The weather was 
 showery and threatening, so we had to unpack 
 all the thirty-eight cases as fast as we could, 
 and get the things either indoors, or at least on 
 to the verandah; so you may fancy the result- 
 ing chaos. However, it was all unpacked by 
 Tuesday night, by dint of a little help from 
 friendly callers added to our own exertions. 
 
 Since Wednesday Lloyd and G have been 
 
 hanging pictures ; and by now the hall is in 
 order and looks remarkably well. The twelve 
 best pictures are there ; and the Heriot Row 
 dining-room furniture suits the proportions of 
 the room very well, and is most effective. We 
 have cleared the verandah also, and feel that we 
 have got through a lot of work ; but of course 
 much remains to be done. I am thankful to say 
 that the furniture has been very well packed, and 
 has arrived in very good order ; much better, 
 indeed, than I had dared to hope. Naturally a 
 good deal of crockery has come to grief, and it 
 is heartrending to me to see the heap of broken 
 familiar things constantly increasing in size ; but 
 I can't complain when so much has come safely. 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 2)>J 
 
 July 8. 
 
 I HAVE just taken possession of my new 
 room, and find it exceedingly comfortable, 
 though as yet it is all in a great mess. There is 
 one novelty about it that ought to prove a com- 
 fort, the windows and doors are closed in with 
 wire gauze, so that it is 'insect proof,' and I can 
 sleep without a mosquito-net. Moreover, I hope 
 that horrid creature, the mason-bee, won't be able 
 to get in to my books, and spoil them. I was 
 father afraid that I might find it hot and airless, 
 especially at night, but there seems to be a very 
 good draught of air right through, and so far it 
 is most comfortable. 
 
 Last week was a very gay one. On Tuesday 
 the captain and officers of the Curapoa gave a 
 capital ball. On Wednesday two of the sailors 
 called at Vailima, and the spokesman announced 
 that ' me and my messmates were to give a ball 
 that evening ' in the very same ' 'all,' and request- 
 ing the honour of our company. Louis and Belle 
 went, and declare it was even more successful 
 than the other; the men behaved so well, and 
 danced better than the officers ! There is a very 
 good feeling on board, and both officers and men 
 speak so nicely of each other. Then the German 
 firm gave a grand entertainment called a Blumen 
 Corso, or flower f£te, the sort of thing that is 
 known as a Bataille de fleurs in the south of 
 France. All the horses and carriages (mostly of 
 
278 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 the buggy nature) were beautifully decorated, 
 and bouquets were thrown, just as they do at 
 Nice and Mentone, etc. ; but here the beauty of 
 the flowers gave a certain tropical character to 
 the scene that was delightful. It was carried 
 out with true tropical vigour, too ; for, whatever 
 may be said in regard to work, there is no place 
 so energetic as the South Sea Islands for amuse- 
 ment; and what with procession, battle of flowers, 
 sports and dancing, this entertainment lasted for 
 twelve full hours ! Then the flagship came in, 
 and of course the Admiral had to be called upon, 
 and the officers entertained here ; and a yacht 
 with some very pleasant people on board also 
 arrived in the bay, and they called here ; and 
 the first circular trip from New Zealand brought 
 quite a lot more visitors, and visits to return in 
 consequence. After all that merely suggested 
 you won't be surprised to hear that Lou came 
 back from Apia yesterday fairly fagged out, but 
 rather think, as I do, that being able to do so 
 much when barely recovered from a severe cold 
 speaks well for his strength. . . . 
 
 July 17. 
 
 I MUST not forget to tell you that as Faale, 
 who was to have been my maid, was married 
 to a native pastor just before my return, I am 
 now busy searching for a boy to fill her place. 
 It seems odd, but I think may work very well ; 
 as many people say that the men here are far 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 279 
 
 more reliable and trainable than the women. By 
 the way, Louis and King Malietoa are once more 
 on friendly terms. It has come about this way, 
 so far as I can make out : one of Mataafa's chiefs 
 was recently in the Apia prison,, a horrid, close, 
 dirty place, where prisoners are almost entirely 
 dependent on their friends for food. Louis knew 
 the discomforts, and in order to get Poe, the 
 chief aforesaid, out, became cautioner for him 
 to the extent of a hundred dollars that he would 
 not rejoin the rebels. Somehow this seems to 
 have been taken as a friendly act to the ' reigning 
 king ' ; and the result is that cold shoulder has 
 turned to gracious welcome, and we are once 
 more friendly with the palace. 
 
 Vailima,July 22, 1894. 
 
 I HAVE been quite gay (for me!) this week, 
 having been at no less than two entertain- 
 ments. On Thursday we lunched on board the 
 Curapoa, and thoroughly enjoyed it ; and yester- 
 day we were invited by Seumano and Faatulia, 
 the chief and chiefess of Apia, to a native feast 
 or picnic at Papaloloa, the bathing-pool on the 
 Vaisigano river, of which I sent you a photo. 
 I used to wonder if they really did jump down 
 from so great a height. Now, I can tell you for 
 a fact that they do, since I have seen it with my 
 own eyes ; and, what is more, they all, even the 
 pretty Samoan girls, enjoyed it thoroughly. / 
 should not care to do it ; but then I am neither 
 
28o LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 Samoan nor young — nor, to complete the com- 
 parison, pretty ! They all took the jump feet 
 first; but I noticed that when the younger 
 Curapoa officers (who had also been invited) 
 joined in the fun, they took it head foremost. 
 I must say the middies were in no way out- 
 done by the Samoans ; they dived splendidly, 
 turning somersaults in the air, and they seemed 
 thoroughly at home in the water. After the 
 bathing followed lunch : a splendid Samoan 
 feast, with no end of pigs, chickens, pigeons, 
 crayfish, prawns, and so on, and quantities of 
 bread-fruit, taro, and coconuts both to eat and 
 drink, in many forms and preparations. The 
 entertainment wound up with a Samoan and 
 European dance. I told you parties here lasted 
 the round of the clock — which some of our party 
 stayed to enjoy ; but I found the daylight portion 
 enough for me, and was glad to get home and 
 rest. There was one little incident that was 
 interesting. While lunch was going on we were 
 rather alarmed to see a lot of armed soldiers in 
 the wood just above us. Fortunately, on investi- 
 gation, they proved to be friendly, and Seumano 
 sent them a pig as their share of their feast ; 
 but it was a rather sharp reminder of the unseen 
 strife so near to us, of which we hear so little that 
 at times we almost forget its existence. 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA z8i 
 
 July 29. 
 
 OUR household, including the stranger within 
 the gates, has been largely augmented of 
 late. We have a visitor, the master of marines 
 from the Curagoa ; there has been a good deal 
 of sickness on board lately, and Louis sug- 
 gested that one of the invalids might be sent 
 to Vailima for change of air. We are fortunate 
 in the choice, and like him very much. Then 
 I have a boy of my own now ; he comes from 
 the Catholic mission, and is called Kapeld, which 
 is Samoan for Gabriel ; he takes well to his 
 work, cleans my room, attends to my horse, 
 besides doing weeding, and so on, in his spare 
 time. He already knows a few words of English, 
 and seems anxious to pick up more, so I am 
 relieved from my dread of finding myself help- 
 less, with no ' common tongue ' to give my orders 
 in. Last, but not least, four little calves have 
 appeared on the scene, and very much in sight 
 too, as they are tethered close to the house ; so 
 that, as Lloyd puts it, ' the place resounds with 
 the cries of veal in all its stages.' I must not 
 forget to tell you how Lafaele brought the news 
 of the safe arrival of one of them to Fanny : it 
 was to the effect that the 'black cow had got 
 a sow ' ! I can't explain the confusion of ideas, 
 but it means a heifer! Two little 'sows' are 
 to be kept for the 'herd,' and are being fed 
 with bottles ; it is very amusing to watch, and 
 the little things are as tame as can be already. 
 
282 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 We have heard rumours of war lately, but I 
 do not think there has been any actual fighting, 
 though that is by no means the only, or the least, 
 danger. Lou has hard work to keep our boys 
 at home ; both Talolo and Sosimo were called 
 out, but Talolo was quite decided not to go. 
 Sosimo was more unsettled, and was very nearly 
 talked over by his father ; and as he has some- 
 thing wrong with his heart, and the doctor had 
 said that exposure to damp and the night air in 
 the bush would be sure to kill him, Lou was of 
 course very anxious to keep him at home. He 
 had a long interview with the father, but at first 
 it seemed no use ; till suddenly he had a bright 
 idea, and appealed to the judgment of Solomon, 
 saying — 
 
 ' Who is the true father of this boy, you who 
 wish to send him where he may be killed by the 
 sword or die of exposure in the woods, or I, who 
 wish to save his life by keeping him safe at 
 home ? ' 
 
 The father hung down his head, and replied, 
 ' It is true ; I cannot resist your parable.' 
 
 It really was a happy thought, as the form and 
 substance were more convincing to a native than 
 any other argument could have been. And we 
 are greatly relieved ; for there are far, far more 
 than those who fall by sword or bullet who go 
 out to the woods and never return. The damp 
 and the night air are more than such a sun- 
 warmed people can stand. 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 283 
 
 August 5. 
 
 WE have had some interesting native 
 visitors this week. 
 
 On Sunday forenoon a young chief called 
 Tui arrived with his 'talking-man'; Louis had 
 been the means of persuading him to join 
 Malietoa's side when Mataafa was deported, 
 and resistance became no more than rebellion. 
 They dined with us, and afterwards had a long 
 talk with Lou about Samoan affairs ; and at 
 evening lotu Tui gave a prayer in Samoan, 
 while Louis followed in English. 
 
 The next day an old chief from the other side 
 of the island came to Vailima with his ' talking- 
 man'; he too had a long consultation with 
 Tusitala, and stayed to lunch. 
 
 On Tuesday morning, immediately after break- 
 fast, not one chief, but a war -party appeared, 
 having come from Safata across the island ; 
 there were sixteen men with muskets, and two 
 women, who carry the cartridges and hand them 
 out when fighting is going on. They brought 
 Tusitala a gift of a white bullock for drawing a 
 waggon ; and they were also accompanied by a 
 mare with her foal, because, as they explained, 
 she was ' a friend of the bullock's,' and he would 
 follow wherever she led. They went on to beg 
 that they might leave the mare and foal with us 
 until they were able to come back and fetch 
 them ; and as they live close to the seat of war, 
 
284 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 I have no doubt this was the real object of their 
 visit. It is no wonder they wanted to feel sure 
 that the beasts were safe and well out of the 
 way. Before our visitors left us we had the 
 usual fcava-drinking, and it was even more 
 picturesque, I thought, than usual. A large 
 mat was spread on the verandah, and we sat 
 on one side, facing the principal members of 
 the party on the other ; many complimentary 
 speeches were made according to custom, Lloyd 
 acting as our ' talking-man.' The kava was then 
 handed to each side alternately in proper prece- 
 dence ; Tusitala, as the host and chief, is always 
 helped first, for there is, you know, no special pre- 
 cedence accorded to ladies in Samoa. . . . And 
 then our guests left us. Poor things ! I wonder 
 how many of them we shall ever see again ? 
 
 August 7. 
 
 THERE is more actual fighting going on 
 just now than there has been since I 
 came back. The three men-o'-war went up the 
 coast on Friday, and on Saturday they shelled a 
 fort and destroyed it completely ; the people had 
 been warned to clear out, so no lives were lost 
 then, but yesterday there was more firing, and 
 two wounded men were brought into hospital. 
 There is no saying how many more there may 
 be, of course, as yet. I am truly sorry for Mr. 
 
 and Mrs. C , whose little hospital has been 
 
 open now for a whole year, and has only once in 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 285 
 
 that time (and then but for a fortnight) been 
 unoccupied. It is very hard work to carry it on 
 alone, and they both begin to look thoroughly 
 fagged out with such a long strain and so much 
 extra labour over and above their ordinary work. 
 And yet no one has the least idea when it may 
 come to an end. 
 
 And now I '11 wind up with an anecdote very 
 redolent of ' the beach.' We recently had a visit 
 from a new arrival here, an American, an enthu- 
 siastic admirer of * Stevenson.' He held Lou's 
 hand for a long time when he was introduced, 
 and told him how much he admired him and all 
 his books; and went on to explain that his 
 reason for coming to Samoa was just because 
 R. L. S. was there. ' You know,' he continued, 
 ' the nearer you get to Samoa the larger he looms. 
 He looms very large from Honolulu ; and when 
 we got here, and a boat came off to us, the first 
 question we asked was, " War still going on ? " 
 
 '"Yes." 
 
 ' " Any other news ? " 
 
 '"Oh! Mr. Stevenson got by last mail the 
 
 d dest lot of furniture that has ever been 
 
 seen in Samoa ! ! " ' 
 
 Vailima, August 19. 
 
 THERE were so many contradictory rumours 
 about the war — some far from reassur- 
 ing — that we could not tell how things were 
 going, and Louis planned to go up the coast and 
 
286 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 investigate for himself. However, he was told 
 that he would do well to stay at home and look 
 after his own affairs, as the Atua people had 
 threatened to attack Vailima because Lou had 
 persuaded Tui to desert them. We don't know 
 whether there was any truth in this, but anyway 
 Louis stayed at home, and Vailima is very well, 
 thank you, up to date. The Curagoa shelled a 
 fort, and also the rebel position a few miles from 
 here, and the chiefs surrendered and gave up 
 about a hundred rifles. None of the chiefs were 
 put in prison, which seems a good sign, and 
 makes us hope we may look upon it as the 
 beginning of the end. . . . 
 
 On Thursday Louis joined the Curagoa, which 
 was going away to coal at Pango-pango, on the 
 island of Tutuila ; he has never quite got over 
 the cold he had when I arrived, and the little 
 change, he thought, would do him good. The 
 Curafoa was delayed, as it happened, by the 
 non-arrival of the New Zealand steamer ; and 
 we were much amused when Lou came up 'on 
 leave ' to pay us a polite visit ! His ' leave ' was 
 up at 3.30 to-day, so he is off again. He tells 
 us that when on board he is rated as ' youngest 
 midshipman ' ! 
 
 August 26. 
 
 I HAVE had a busy week since I last wrote. 
 In the first place Fanny was not feeling 
 well, and we thought a little change would do 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 287 
 
 her good too; so she and I went down to the 
 Tivoli Hotel in Apia on Monday. We got two 
 nice rooms opening into one another, and took 
 our meals on the verandah; it is twenty feet 
 wide, with delightful views of sea and mountain, 
 and a more charming sort of 'parlour' could 
 not be imagined. We had plenty of society, 
 too, as several people we know are staying at 
 the Tivoli just now ; but Fanny found that she 
 had taken influenza, so she refuses to return 
 home till the doctor says there is no fear of 
 infection for Louis. I am sorry to say there is 
 a good deal of sickness in Apia just now. 
 
 I was invited to go to the opening of the new 
 school at Leulumoenga, but as there was no 
 
 room for me in the H s' house there, it was 
 
 arranged that I should go with Mrs. C 
 
 (whose husband could not leave the wounded 
 in the hospital at Apia) to stay for the night at 
 Malua. So on Wednesday morning we started 
 in the Mission boat, with twelve rowers and a 
 
 steersman belonging to Mr. C 's school ; 
 
 they sang nearly the whole way, and I often 
 wish I were musical enough to appreciate these 
 quaint and touching melodies. Three large 
 boats had gone before us, laden with the seventy 
 girls from Papauta and their teacher ; and we 
 
 all met at Malua, where the M s welcomed 
 
 us as kindly as ever. Early on Thursday morn- 
 ing we went on to Leulumoenga, where a very 
 large party was already assembled. The new 
 
288 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 schoolhouse is a fine large hall, with twenty 
 doors and windows, but it was packed to over- 
 flowing. It was quite a pretty sight : the native 
 pastors and students were all clothed in white, 
 the Papauta girls also wore white, with wreaths 
 of moss in their hair ; and the pupils from the 
 other Mission-houses each wore different dis- 
 tinguishing colours. There must have been 
 fully six hundred people in the hall, not counting 
 the crowds outside. In the forenoon there was 
 a thanksgiving service, and a few particulars 
 were given, in an address, of the building of the 
 
 school, which was designed by Mr. H , and 
 
 put up by the boys themselves under his super- 
 intendence and guidance. After this we had 
 dinner and a rest, while the food-gifts were 
 being apportioned and distributed ; my share 
 was a barrel of beef! . . . which, as I was one 
 
 of the C 's family for the nonce, I handed 
 
 over to their boys. 
 
 At 3 p.m. we went back to the schoolhouse 
 and heard the boys examined ; it was all in 
 English, which they speak remarkably well, and 
 I was greatly struck with the improvement since 
 I was here two years ago. It was amusing to 
 hear one boy sing ' Oh dear, what can the 
 matter be ! ' and sing it, too, in very good time 
 and tune ; and at the end they all joined most en- 
 thusiastically in 'God save the Queen.' Then 
 we betook ourselves to our boats again, and had 
 just time to get back to Malua before it was 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 289 
 
 dark. Next day we returned to Apia, but as 
 the wind was against us, we took no less than 
 four hours to row the distance which, going, we 
 had covered in about two. It did not seem 
 long, however, as besides ourselves there were 
 the three Papauta boats and one from Savaii, 
 
 belonging to Mr. H , the missionary there; 
 
 and of course our crews had to try races, in 
 which we invariably beat the others, and ulti- 
 mately got home ahead of them. 
 
 There was one curious thing about this little 
 festival, it took place in the heart of the war 
 district ; the king's troops were on one side of 
 us, and the rebels on the other. The new 
 American consul said he had never heard of a 
 picnic under such conditions ; * but both sides 
 are friendly to the missions, and the royal 
 troops kept out of the way on purpose to avoid 
 any difficulties. The rebels did come down to 
 see if the enemy were about, but finding none, 
 they got a present of food and fruit and went 
 
 away well content. The H s distributed 
 
 nearly a hundred pigs and fifty-two barrels of 
 beef, and it is rather curious how they were 
 able to get such supplies together in a time of 
 scarcity. The people living round Leulumoenga 
 told the schoolboys that owing to the war they 
 were unable to make copra of their coconuts; 
 
 1 The editor remembers a picnic some miles out of Auckland during 
 the Maori war, when blackberry-picking (the cause of the expedition) 
 had to be carried out within a circle of armed guards. 
 
2 go LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 so if the boys liked to gather them and make 
 the copra, they were welcome to sell it and do 
 what they liked with the proceeds. The money 
 so obtained was a real boon, as it purchased a 
 large quantity of food, enough to feed the 
 multitude present, and to give them plenty of 
 beef and pigs to carry home ; and as many have 
 been on short commons of late, I am sure it 
 must have been exceedingly welcome. 
 
 On Saturday I came home and found Lou 
 back from the Curapoa, and looking better than 
 he has done since I returned, in fact quite young 
 and cheerful, and able, we hope, to do a little 
 work. But I feel Fanny is right to stay in 
 Apia till the doctor pronounces her free from 
 infection ; and, by the way, the Apia doctor has 
 had an accident while away on a malanga, and 
 is not yet able to return home. How things 
 
 would have got on but for Dr. H of the 
 
 Curapoa, I can't imagine ; for there is a good 
 deal of sickness about just now, and there are 
 always wounded in the hospital. Indeed I 
 
 believe Dr. H has been very hard worked ; 
 
 but fortunately, as the Curapoa carries two 
 medical men, she can always leave one behind 
 if necessary, even when she goes away on a 
 trip. 
 
 I missed a very interesting scene, which took 
 place the other day during my absence. Ten 
 chiefs, who have been in prison in Apia ever 
 since Mataafa was overcome, were lately set at 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 291 
 
 liberty ; and as Louis had been kind to them, 
 going to visit them occasionally and sending 
 them food, tobacco, and so on, they came up in 
 a body to thank him. Not content with this, 
 they offered to make the road for him, from our 
 house to where the path joins the public road ; 
 and when Lou tried to put them off, not wishing 
 to take them at their word, they insisted on their 
 offer. He proposed then that he should feed 
 them while they were at work ; but even this 
 they refused, saying they wished to do it all 
 themselves, as a mea-alofa (gift of love) to 
 Tusitala, who had always been the Samoans' 
 friend. And yet there are people who say they 
 have no gratitude ! They were taken round the 
 house, which all natives like to see, and when 
 they came to my room they said they were sorry 
 they had not seen me; and one chief took off 
 his wreath of sweet-scented flowers and seeds 
 and hung it round my picture, where I found it 
 on my return. 
 
 September 2. 
 
 GOOD news at last, the war is at an end 
 for the present, and we are most thank- 
 ful. The Curafoa and one of the German 
 warships went up to Aava, and after some 
 negotiations Tamasese agreed to 'do homage' 
 to Malietoa, and surrendered a large quantity of 
 muskets. It was really to the Powers he yielded 
 and not to Malietoa; so it is doubtful if the 
 
292 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 peace would last long if the men-o'-war were 
 withdrawn. However, every one is glad of a 
 rest, and we hope things will shake down into a 
 permanent understanding. 
 
 We have a clean bill of health at Vailima now, 
 but Fanny was still looking far from well when 
 she came home. Then Belle got a cold ; so we 
 started separate meals in the old dining-room 
 for Lou and any of the family who were quite 
 above suspicion. It reminded me of days at 
 Saranac and elsewhere, but I am glad to say we 
 are all well again now, and returned to sociable 
 family life. 
 
 Vailima, September 19, 1894. 
 
 THE very day my last letter was sent off 
 the chiefs began work on the new road. 
 We had a large bowl of kava made, and the boys 
 carried it down to them, Louis and the rest of 
 us going also to share it. Several speeches 
 were made, which I need not attempt to describe; 
 but the tone of affectionate sincerity, noticeable 
 even to me who cannot understand Samoan, was 
 very touching. They are making a splendid 
 road, fully thirty feet wide ; and it is hard work 
 too, as a good many trees and a considerable 
 stretch of lime hedge have to be cleared away by 
 means of cutting and burning. 
 
 It has been a busy week ; I have been out 
 riding almost every day, and the moonlit even- 
 ings are so delightful, one is tempted to take 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 293 
 
 advantage of them. We have paid several visits 
 — one of condolence to the widow of Le Mamea, 
 who has just died ; he was principal political in- 
 terpreter, and will be very much missed, as there 
 is no other Samoan who speaks and understands 
 English so thoroughly. After a death it is the 
 native custom to call and take a gift — for the 
 matter of that, on every occasion of life in 
 Samoa gifts are de rigueur ; so Fanny took 
 with her material for a black dress. How quaint 
 it would seem to express one's sympathy like 
 that at home! . . . Then we had also a great 
 many visitors at Vailima, one day no less than 
 six of the Curagoa officers, in pairs, the last 
 couple being the gunner and the carpenter, who 
 wanted to study the Samoan woods. Louis 
 took them a walk in the bush, and sent them 
 off at length heavy laden with specimens. 
 Another day we had ' a party ' to lunch, and 
 a supply of later arrivals at tea ; the last of our 
 visitors did not leave till 6, and as I had been 
 hard at work since 7 a.m. preparing or enter- 
 taining, I felt righteously tired out and went 
 to bed at 8.30. And I used to imagine that 
 South Sea Islands were lonely spots where one 
 never saw anybody, because there was nobody 
 to see ! 
 
 Yesterday, for instance, we got up an im- 
 promptu dance in honour of Belle's birthday. 
 There were about thirty invited, all but good 
 dancers being carefully eliminated ; and the hall 
 
294 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 made a capital ballroom, with the long dinner 
 table pushed close to the end window, and used 
 as a buffet for the cold supper. I think they 
 all enjoyed themselves very much, and I am sure 
 the audience did ; for some of the road-making 
 chiefs arrived to look on, and of course all our 
 boys and their families and friends crowded 
 round the wide doors and windows. Great was 
 their admiration, but I think the climax was 
 reached with the Highland schottische, which 
 was danced with immense vigour and greeted 
 with tremendous cheering and clapping of hands. 
 After a while I retired to bed ; but when before 
 separating at twelve o'clock they all sang Auld 
 Lang Syne, I could scarcely resist jumping up 
 and running downstairs, just as I was, to join 
 in it! 
 
 Here is a good story of Lafaele, while I re- 
 member it. He came the other day to Fanny 
 and sat down at her feet as if he had something 
 tragic to report ; and presently, having thoroughly 
 disturbed her by his air of gloom, he said, very 
 lugubriously, ' Madam, what I do with that 
 dirty horse ? ' Fanny had visions of some terrible 
 disease attacking one of our steeds, but after 
 considerable discussion found that it was his way 
 of referring to some manure that she had told 
 him to collect for her garden, about which he 
 wanted further instructions ! 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 295 
 
 September 30. 
 
 THIS week I have had neuralgia, which has 
 prevented me from going to Malua, to 
 join in the celebration of the jubilee of the 
 Institution there. It must have been a very- 
 interesting sight ; there were over three thou- 
 sand present, and the bay was filled with the 
 boats of those who had come by sea. All the 
 different villages wore each a distinctive dress ; 
 no doubt it was much like the ' May-meeting" 
 at Apia, or the opening of the school at Leulu- 
 moenga, only on a much larger scale, and I am 
 sorry to have missed it. 
 
 At home our principal piece of news is that 
 the chiefs finished the road on Thursday, and 
 Lou is going to give them a feast, and formally 
 open the road to traffic, some day this week. It 
 is to be called The Road of Loving Hearts, which 
 will be written in Samoan and English on a 
 board, along with the names of all the chiefs 
 who have worked upon it, to be set up on the 
 opening day, at the end where it joins the public 
 road across the island. Then all who pass may 
 see that some Samoans are most truly grateful 
 for any kindness shown to them. The name, by 
 the way, is of Lou's choosing, and in Samoan is 
 most musical. By the way — to make a leap with 
 Lou for the only connecting-link — can you tell 
 me when shops were first opened in Princes 
 Street? In one of the books that Louis is busy 
 
296 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 on just now he makes shops visible from the 
 castle ramparts in 1813, and I hae ma doots about 
 that. Perhaps you may be able to pick up some 
 useful information on the subject. 
 
 October 4. 
 
 WE have a hanger-on called Elina, who 
 lives in Apia, and does so many things 
 for us that he is difficult to describe officially. 
 He is 'the meat man,' and the washerman, and 
 does our messages, and takes charge of the horse 
 
 we lent to Dr. H , and is a sort of general 
 
 agent for Vailima in Apia! Well, this indis- 
 pensable gentleman had a large wen on his back 
 which seriously spoiled his appearance, and Fanny 
 has for a long time been anxious that he should 
 have it removed. Both doctors said there was 
 no risk, but he declared he was certain he would 
 die if it were touched ! Fanny told him he was 
 a disgrace to our aiinga (family), that people 
 would blame us for not getting him made beauti- 
 ful, when it was so easy ; that it was a terrible 
 thing to have a coward belonging to us, and so 
 on, but hitherto without effect ; she also tried 
 bribery, and he was promised five dollars if he 
 would have it done, while Louis and she would 
 go down to his house and be with him when 
 the operation took place. Nothing seemed of 
 any avail till, quite suddenly, he gave in, and 
 agreed to have it done yesterday at 5 a.m. ; 
 
FEAST TO THE CHIEFS ON THE OPENING OF "THE ROAD OF THE LOVING HEARTS" 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 297 
 
 rather an early hour, even for us, but natives 
 have not much notion of time. 
 
 After a very early breakfast Louis and Fanny 
 and the doctor (who is staying with us just now) 
 started for Apia ; and about eleven o'clock they 
 returned with the good news that all had gone 
 splendidly. Elina met them at the door and 
 gave them kava before Fanny had even got off 
 her horse ; his house was got up in great style, 
 with his best mats on the floor, and boxes 
 arranged round the room. It was, of course, 
 full of relatives and neighbours, quite forty in 
 number, who had come, in Samoan fashion, to 
 look on ! Elina lay down on the mats, and poor 
 
 Dr. H had to stoop over him as best he 
 
 might ; it must have been back-breaking work, 
 
 and in such heat ! Mr. C and Louis gave 
 
 the chloroform ; and when he began to go over, 
 Elina repeated constantly in laborious English, 
 / belong Tusitala, I belong Tusitala, and his first 
 words when he came out were, I'm not a coward 
 now! Fanny came home tired out with the 
 heat and the excitement, but regards it as a 
 triumph. . . . 
 
 October 7. 
 
 THE feast for the chiefs went off very well. 
 All the chiefs, with their wives, were of 
 course invited, and there were a good many 
 hangers-on ; besides whom we had the Chief- 
 Justice, the President, the American Consul- 
 
298 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 General, and the English and American Land 
 Commissioners, as well as a few others, making 
 quite sixty in all. We met on the verandah 
 of the old house, and sat on mats ; though there 
 was a box, covered with tapa, in the centre, on 
 which I and a few others took refuge when we 
 really could not sit on the floor any longer. The 
 feast was spread on the corresponding verandah 
 of the new part of the house ; it is not desirable 
 to have native feasts inside the hall, as it takes 
 so long to get rid of the smell of pig ! Seumano, 
 the chief of Apia, who was one of our guests, 
 had brought with him three young ladies of his 
 family, who were put in charge of the kava ; and 
 of course the serving of this opened the cere- 
 mony, being handed only to the chiefs and the 
 gentlemen visitors ; there was no time to include 
 the ladies. Louis read aloud his speech of 
 thanks to the chiefs, ending up with some 
 friendly advice to make the best of things ; and 
 after Lloyd had given it in Samoan, speeches 
 were made by Seumano, and by a ' talking-man ' 
 on behalf of the chiefs. Then we all trooped 
 off to the feast, which consisted as usual of pigs, 
 salt-beef, tinned salmon, puddings of coconut 
 cream baked in taro-leaves, quantities of hard 
 biscuit, and eighty pineapples. In the words 
 of the old ditty — 
 
 ' They did very well without fork or knife ' — 
 and Lou declares he saw one chief put a newly 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 299 
 
 opened tin of salmon to his mouth, and drink 
 it, juice and all, straight to the dregs! When 
 it was over there was the usual barbaric scene 
 of the distribution of the remains ; and we could 
 see people running off in all directions to store 
 their bundles of provisions. They all seemed 
 well content, which was the main point. 
 
 When the feast was over our white visitors 
 left, but the chiefs asked leave to dance a siva, 
 or native dance, in honour of Tusitala ; it was 
 a very high - chief dance, and only used on 
 special occasions. It took place on the lawn, 
 while we sat on the verandah steps ; and high- 
 chief or no, it was very queer and uncouth, but 
 decidedly interesting. It was done half standing, 
 half crouching, and imitated the management of 
 a boat, pulling the ropes, setting sail, and so on. 
 I have no doubt it has some historic basis, if we 
 only knew. It was past six before it came to 
 an end, and we were all glad to rest; though 
 you will notice that the procession to view the 
 board at the end of the road was omitted from 
 the proceedings, partly to save time, and partly 
 on account of the unusual heat. 
 
 And finally, do you know Charles Baxter is 
 coming to pay us a visit ? You can fancy how 
 delighted Lou is, and how he looks forward to 
 it; though it is a pity that Charles will arrive 
 early in December, in the middle of the rainy 
 season. I fear it will be impossible to take him 
 on a malanga, and he may never see Samoa at 
 
300 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 the height of her beauty. Nevertheless, he will 
 be hailed with joy. . . . 
 
 Vailima, October 14, 1894. 
 
 TH E mail-steamer from Sydney brought the 
 news that the Wallaroo has been ordered 
 to relieve the Curapoa, and may be expected to 
 arrive any day ; so our friends are in a chronic 
 state of leave-taking, and some of them are up 
 every afternoon. Last Thursday Louis and a 
 few others went on board the Curagoa to make 
 
 the presentation to Dr. H ; I told you how 
 
 much he had done for us all lately, saved at least 
 two lives, and worked exceedingly hard. Every- 
 body wanted to find some way of expressing 
 their gratitude, as a doctor in the navy is not 
 allowed to accept fees ; and it was a most happy 
 thought, I think, and a capital way out of the 
 difficulty, to send the sum that had been col- 
 lected home to his wife. He was much pleased, 
 and I am sure that she will be ; and we were 
 glad to be able to show that we appreciated all 
 that he had done for us. I shall send you the 
 paper with the speeches, etc., but must tell you 
 
 the story of our own special copy. G had 
 
 told us a tale of a presentation to a colonel of 
 a silver jug. A sergeant was to make the 
 presentation, and both he and the colonel had 
 prepared elaborate speeches for the occasion ; 
 but when the moment arrived, all that the 
 sergeant could manage to say was, ' Kornel, 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 301 
 
 that 's the joog ! ' — to which he replied, ' Is that 
 the joog ? ' We had laughed over this with the 
 doctor, and he had not forgotten it ; so he went 
 to the newspaper office, got them to print the 
 four words for him, pasted a piece of paper over 
 his real speech in the journal, and put in the 
 prepared slip instead ; so the paragraph read — 
 
 ' Dr. H made the following brief and 
 
 eloquent reply : 
 
 " Is that the joog ? " ' 
 
 After the presentation Louis dined on board, 
 and rode up after ten o'clock at night. He takes 
 his saddle off himself, and puts his horse in the 
 paddock ; what a change from when he first came 
 here, when he would not have been allowed to 
 lift anything so heavy as a saddle, let alone riding 
 out so late at night. It is such little things as 
 these that show how greatly his health has 
 improved. 
 
 October 21. 
 
 N" O word of the Wallaroo yet, and people 
 are beginning to be uneasy. We still 
 have almost daily visits from the Curagoans, who 
 like to make the most of the little time that 
 may be left to them ; but apart from that it has 
 been a very quiet week indeed. The new John 
 Williams, the Mission boat, is expected here at 
 the end of the month, and Louis made our hair 
 stand on end by proposing to go off in her 
 to New Guinea; but we greeted the proposal 
 
302 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 with such a howl of distress that he has given 
 up the idea. It is a very bad place for fever, 
 and this is the worst season for it — hence our 
 anguish ; not to speak of cannibalism, which 
 I verily believe rather attracted Lou than 
 otherwise ! 
 
 Fanny has been busy superintending the 
 levelling of the lawn. It has been a very slow 
 business, as the soil, eighteen inches deep, has 
 to be sifted clear of stones and roots, and the 
 boys could only be spared occasionally from 
 other more pressing labours. However, it is 
 now almost finished. It stretches right across 
 in front of the house, and over to the clump of 
 trees, of which it encloses three ; it is surrounded 
 on two sides by a glorious hibiscus hedge, on the 
 third by the house, and on the fourth by the path 
 down to the gate. A tennis-net and court occupy 
 one half, and at present badminton is played on 
 the other ; though later, when the turf is in good 
 order, this will be replaced by croquet. The 
 games are generally in full swing every after- 
 noon, as soon as the sun gets behind Vaea 
 Mountain, which just now is about half-past four. 
 I have taken possession of the old dining-room 
 as my sitting-room, because it is so much cooler 
 than the wire-gauzed apartments in the new part 
 of the house ; and as I write now, I look out on 
 the beautiful green lawn before the windows, and 
 think with wonder on the marvellous change that 
 has been brought about in little more than three 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 303 
 
 years, since I first saw the place. The young 
 fruit-trees are beginning to bear, too ; I saw one 
 branch of an orange-tree, the other day, with 
 eight splendid oranges upon it, and some trees 
 of the small Chinese orange are laden with 
 blossom and fruit. The cacaos near the house 
 were also covered with fruit; but it had to be 
 picked off while small, as it is too soon yet to 
 allow them to bear. In a few short years, how- 
 ever, what a lovely place this will be, and what 
 a delight to us, if we are all still here to enjoy it. 
 
 October 28. 
 
 I THINK the principal event of the past 
 week was that on Tuesday G set off 
 
 on his wanderings again. We knew that he 
 wanted to go a trip round the islands in the 
 Archer, which is the trading schooner that has 
 replaced the one Louis and Fanny went in ; but 
 it was not certain when, or even whether, the 
 boat would call here on her way. On Sunday 
 the New Zealand steamer brought the news that 
 
 G must go to Fiji in her, and join the 
 
 Archer there ; so off he went on Tuesday, and 
 we are left lamenting. Fanny has dozens of 
 schemes on hand that she declares can never be 
 carried through without his assistance. He will 
 be at least three months away, and will visit both 
 the Gilberts and the Marshalls, as well as several 
 other groups ; and I am tjuite sure that he will 
 thoroughly enjoy it. 
 
304 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 Fanny's special work last week was to super- 
 intend the boys putting a culvert into the new 
 road, to carry off the rain in the wet season ; and 
 her water-supply scheme is also now being 
 actually carried out. Talolo found a good and 
 suitable spring on Vaea Mountain, well above our 
 house, and three men have been busy for several 
 days digging a large reservoir, which will be 
 lined with cement and covered over, to prevent 
 people from bathing in it. Fanny spent nearly 
 a whole day there directing and superintend- 
 ing ; but I contented myself with going up 
 to see the place, which is cool and pretty, and 
 as the men have cut a path, it is now fairly easy 
 for walking, instead of being impassable, as it 
 was before. It is a great scheme, and when 
 carried out will be an enormous boon and 
 comfort. 
 
 The new Mission steamer, the John Williams, 
 was expected to arrive on Thursday, and a lot 
 of entertainments were being got up in her 
 honour : a concert last night, a lecture on Africa 
 by the captain of the vessel to-morrow evening, 
 and the regular ' May- meeting,' when every 
 one subscribes for the foreign missions, on 
 Wednesday. I meant to be present at all these 
 . . . but no John Williams has arrived! It 
 seems to be the fashion just now for vessels not 
 to turn up when due ; there is no word of the 
 Wallaroo yet either, and there is serious anxiety 
 about her. Our friends of the Curagoa come 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 305 
 
 and go and make the most of the short leave 
 which is all that they can get, as they may have 
 to start at very short notice any day. It is weary 
 work hanging about like that. 
 
 November 6. 
 
 YESTERDAY brought the news that the 
 belated John Williams would not be here 
 till the 1 3th, which is very annoying after all the 
 preparations had been made to receive her. A 
 choir of one hundred voices was to sing hymns 
 at the Sunday meeting ; the Mission compound 
 had been covered in with an awning of coconut 
 leaves supported on posts for the ' May-meet- 
 ing ' ; and all the missionaries had come into 
 Apia from the other islands. Now we hear the 
 boat can only stay three days, when she does 
 come, so the Sunday meeting cannot be held at 
 
 all ; and I am truly sorry for Mr. C , who has 
 
 had so much trouble for nothing. 
 
 Yesterday we had a visit from about fifteen of 
 the sailors of the Curagoa ; they had a holiday 
 on shore and rode up, saying they wanted to see 
 ' the home of the great novelist ' before they left 
 Samoa. I think they thoroughly enjoyed their 
 visit ; and when they went away they gave three 
 famous British cheers for Mr. and Mrs. Steven- 
 son and the rest of the family. But there is still 
 no word of the Wallaroo, and as the latest news 
 from Sydney makes it clear that she should have 
 been here some time ago, we greatly fear there 
 
306 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 has been an accident. And that is odd ; I began 
 this letter with the expected arrival of the Wal- 
 laroo, and I close it with the Wallaroo — expected 
 still. 
 
 Vailima, November II, 1894. 
 
 BOTH the long-expected vessels arrived 
 yesterday, the John Williams about 
 10 a.m., and close behind her H.M.S. Wallaroo. 
 You may fancy the joy of all on board the 
 Curapoa ; they have waited two months in daily 
 expectation, and though they declare they are 
 sorry to leave Samoa, yet the delight of ' going 
 home ' is stronger than all else. Well, their gain 
 is our loss, and I doubt whether we shall ever so 
 take ' a whole shipful ' to our hearts again. The 
 ' family ' went down to service and lunch on 
 board the Curapoa on Sunday, in order to say 
 good-bye; and this morning at 8.30 I went to 
 the beach (I had slept in Apia) to see her 
 departure. There was much manning of yards 
 and saluting on the Buzzard and the Wallaroo ; 
 all gave three cheers, and the bands played 
 ' Home, Sweet Home ' as the Curapoa passed 
 out through the reef on her way to England. 
 Well, every one was sorry to see the last of her. 
 On Sunday evening I rode down to the 
 Mission, as I wanted to attend the John 
 Williams meeting. The house was full of mis- 
 sionaries from all the different stations : from 
 Falealili, from Savaii, from Leulumoenga, and 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 307 
 
 from Malua. Captain H— — of the new John 
 Williams was there also ; he is a very pleasant 
 and interesting man, and told me that he had 
 been a long time in Africa, and had surveyed 
 the whole of Lake Tanganyika. He had visited 
 our Blantyre Mission, and spoke mpst highly of 
 it ; he said * it was delightful to see a Mission 
 made to suit the circumstances of the place, 
 instead of a place forced into suiting the pre- 
 conceived plans of the Mission, ' and he added, 
 ' I assure you, the gardener is almost the most 
 important person there ! ' I went on board the 
 John Williams, and found her most comfortably 
 arranged ; indeed, I should quite enjoy a cruise 
 in her; and on Monday evening I attended a 
 very good concert got up in honour of her 
 arrival, quite the best I have heard in Samoa. 
 Unfortunately, the weather was wet, which kept 
 away some who live at a distance ; and one 
 recitation was quite spoilt by the noise of a very 
 heavy shower of rain upon the iron roof. 
 
 On Tuesday morning the ' May-meeting ' was 
 held, so I stayed on in Apia to attend it ; but the 
 weather spoilt it a good deal, at least as a 
 festival. When I first saw it everything looked 
 beautiful under a bright sun, and we were thank- 
 ful for any sort of shade ; but this time it had to 
 be held under a shelter erected in the Mission 
 compound, and the space was rather limited. I 
 told you before that on this occasion the Samoans 
 — eighteen or nineteen villages, I think — bring 
 
308 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 in their annual contributions to the Missions; 
 the women of each village, dressed alike, walked 
 in procession round the shelter before taking 
 their seats. I was very sorry the surroundings 
 were not better, for the dresses were unusually 
 fine, thoroughly Samoan, with much really 
 beautiful tapa and the characteristic head- 
 dresses of coco-fibre. The flowers, too, were 
 splendid, and it is the only occasion on which 
 one sees so effective a gathering nowadays. 
 But even as it was, the meeting did not go off 
 without mishap. Just as the preliminaries were 
 
 finished, and Captain H began his speech, 
 
 down came a regular pour of rain like a huge 
 shower-bath, and as the roof was by no means 
 fit to stand such a deluge, we had to take to 
 flight and seek for ' cover ' as fast as we could. 
 Later on the meeting was finished in the public 
 hall, but as that held a bare half of the people, it 
 could not be called a great success. It was truly 
 disappointing. 
 
 In the afternoon I rode home quite tired out 
 by my three days' gaiety (!) in Apia. Fortun- 
 ately we had agreed to hold Lou's birthday on 
 Wednesday, the 14th, so I had a few hours' rest 
 before me ; but now I must tell you of the feast, 
 and you will not wonder if I add that I still feel 
 tired ! 
 
 I must tell you that Fanny and I had ridden 
 over last week to the Catholic Mission on Vaea 
 Mountain to arrange for the food required for 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 309 
 
 the party ; it was the first time I had been there, 
 and I found it a beautiful place, with such large 
 and lovely outlooks over the harbour and the 
 sea. It is quite a settlement too, with a chapel 
 and several houses built in stone, besides the 
 native quarters, and such exquisitely tended 
 gardens. . . . Well, that was a necessary pre- 
 liminary. The celebration of the day itself 
 began before 7 a.m., when Elina, ' who belongs 
 to Tusitala,' sent up four men to help in making 
 the native ovens, and to look after the cooking. 
 The first procession came from Tanugamanono, 
 and was headed by Pola (Belle's adopted son) ; 
 he was covered with beautiful garlands, and 
 walked with a very grand air, for he considers 
 himself a most important person as ' the son of 
 Teuila.' The processions went on arriving from 
 far and near till 3 p.m., and a great many gifts 
 were brought and presented ; they were all laid 
 out in the old dining-room, and made quite a 
 grand display. There were two very old mats, 
 which are extremely valuable, and some fine 
 kava bowls, and a great many ordinary mats and 
 pieces of tapa, fans, rings (one with ' Tusitala ' 
 on it in silver), and quantities of wreaths and 
 bouquets and loose flowers. We had had a 
 shelter arranged on the lawn, as it was not very 
 convenient to have the feast on the verandah ; 
 the posts that supported it. were wreathed with 
 greenery, and the roof consisted of coconut and 
 banana leaves plaited together, and looked very 
 
310 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 pretty. The meal itself was arranged on banana 
 leaves down the centre, and there was plenty of 
 room to sit round ; it was strictly Samoan in 
 character— no knives and forks were allowed, and 
 the only concession made to Papalangi preju- 
 dices was that salt was handed round upon a 
 small leaf. Now for a list of the supplies, as 
 nearly as I can manage it ; but though I am 
 pretty certain of the main items, I am almost 
 sure I have overlooked a good many of the 
 ' sundries ' — 
 
 i heifer roasted whole in a native oven ; 
 
 20 pigs roasted whole in a native oven ; 
 
 50 chickens ; 
 
 1 7 pigeons ; 
 
 430 taro roots ; 
 
 1 2 large yams ; 
 
 80 arrowroot puddings ; 
 
 50 palusamis ; 
 
 804 pineapples ; and 
 
 20 bunches of bananas. 
 Some of the pigs, chickens, and taro were 
 brought as gifts, but the pineapples were all 
 grown on Vailima ground, and we were very 
 proud of them. We had also two sets of dancers 
 as an entertainment ; first, a set of Tongans, 
 eight men and ten little boys, who had been 
 beautifully trained, and went through the most 
 intricate evolutions in perfect time to the beating 
 of a ... tin box! They carried bunches of 
 reeds that they used to represent swords or 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 3" 
 
 guns, according to circumstances ; and tied 
 round their ankles they wore strings of nut- 
 shells, that made a peculiar and warlike rattle 
 whenever they moved. Their dresses also were 
 very fine, of stiff tapa with many wreaths and 
 girdles of all kinds, and head-dresses of prepared 
 coconut pith, which looks like feathers : they 
 were really a pretty sight. This part of the 
 entertainment took place in our large hall before 
 the feast, to pass the time during a very heavy 
 shower of rain ; luckily it did not last long, and 
 the sun dried everything in a few minutes, so 
 we managed the ' banquet ' without any draw- 
 backs. When it was finished we had Samoan 
 dancing on the lawn, during which, according to 
 the native custom, original verses were sung in 
 honour of Tusitala and all his family ; there was 
 a game of cricket, and a good deal of the ' panto- 
 mime ' acting that all the Samoans love. Elina 
 was one of the performers, and we were greatly 
 amused to find that one scene described the 
 cutting-off of his wen ! He tied a pineapple round 
 his neck to represent the growth, and he went 
 through a most expressive pantomime to show 
 his terror before the operation, and his joy when 
 it was over ! 
 
 There were no speeches during the feast, but 
 when a few of us were together in the hall just 
 before the break-up, the Consul-General pro- 
 posed Tusitala's health in a very beautiful way. 
 I only wish I had a copy of the words to send 
 
3i2 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 you. Dear Lou, what cause for thankfulness it 
 is that he has been spared to see his forty-fourth 
 birthday in so much health and comfort. 
 
 November 25. 
 
 WE have had a very quiet week, the only 
 event being the sad and sudden death 
 of the young wife of our consul here. She had 
 a severe attack of fever, and took an abrupt 
 turn for the worse ; she had always been so 
 strong and well that we fear she did not take the 
 constant precautions necessary in this climate. 
 It is especially sad, as they were to have gone 
 home in January next, and what a painful home- 
 going it will be now ! She will be greatly missed 
 by every one. . . . 
 
 I do not think that anything particular has 
 been going on here. Fanny's waterworks are 
 being much delayed by the wet weather ; she 
 spends hours up there superintending the men 
 when they are at work, and one day when I 
 went with her I found it so cold as to make me 
 fancy myself back in Scotland — which was not 
 pleasant when I was only dressed for the tropics. 
 Nevertheless we have begun to take breakfast 
 on the back verandah, and it is very pleasant ; 
 to my surprise we do not feel chilled or uncom- 
 fortable even when it is raining heavily. The 
 only nuisance is the flies, and the only way 
 to deal with them is to have them constantly 
 switched off by one of the boys. This morn- 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 313 
 
 ing it was very wet, and I was much amused 
 to watch the boys bringing cakes and other 
 dishes from the kitchen sheltered from the rain 
 by a . . . fan ! and my boy, Kapele, having been 
 sent to fetch limes, reappeared presently, his 
 hands full of the fruit, and himself running with 
 water as if he had just stepped out of a shower- 
 bath. He looked quite undisturbed and happy. 
 
 December 2. 
 
 LAST Thursday was Thanksgiving Day, 
 j and Fanny invited all our American 
 friends to dinner. Everything was as correct 
 and American as possible ; and I think that 
 when I give you the menu, you will allow that 
 it was not bad for a tropical island. We had 
 soup, fish-ball, roast-turkey with cranberry sauce 
 (which will surprise you ; but Fanny found a 
 most successful substitute in a Samoan berry), 
 roast-mutton and vegetables, sweet potato pud- 
 ding (which is also one of the ' correct ' dishes), 
 and American apples, which had just arrived by 
 the mail-steamer. Last, but not least, I must 
 not forget what is a great treat to us here, we 
 had ice. Louis gave a little thanksgiving prayer 
 as grace ; and after dinner, when the Consul- 
 General had proposed the health of the family 
 in a very good speech, Louis returned thanks, 
 very beautifully as it seemed to me, and very 
 touchingly, as was apparent by the effect it had 
 on all who listened. He mentioned 'some of 
 
3M LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 the many things' he had to be thankful foi-j 
 and one was that he had his mother ' still and 
 always ' with him ; and he said, too, that he had 
 reason to be grateful to America for much that 
 was brightest in his life. After that the next 
 toast was naturally ' The women of America,' 
 and we all did it hearty justice. . . . 
 
 There is still much illness and fever at Apia, 
 and the English consul and his little girl have 
 both been moved to the Mission-house to be 
 nursed and taken care of. How wonderfully free 
 of such troubles we have been at Vailima, and 
 how thankful we ought indeed to be for it ! 
 
 Vailima, December 4. 
 
 HOW am I to tell you the terrible news 
 that my beloved son was suddenly called 
 home last evening. At six o'clock he was well, 
 hungry for dinner, and helping Fanny to make 
 a Mayonnaise sauce ; when suddenly he put 
 both hands to his head and said, ' Oh, what a 
 pain ! ' and then added, ' Do I look strange ? ' 
 Fanny said no, not wishing to alarm him, and 
 helped him into the hall, where she put him 
 into the nearest easy-chair. She called for us 
 to come, and I was there in a minute ; but he 
 was unconscious before I reached his side, and 
 remained so for two hours, till at ten minutes 
 past 8 p.m. all was over. 
 
 Lloyd went for help at once, and got two 
 doctors wonderfully quickly — one from the Wal- 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 315 
 
 laroo and the other, Dr. F , from Apia ; but 
 
 we had already done all that was possible, and 
 they could suggest nothing more. Before the 
 end came we brought a bed into the hall, and 
 he was lifted on to it. When all was oyer his 
 boys gathered about him, and the chiefs from 
 Tanugamanono arrived with fine mats which 
 they laid over the bed ; it was very touching 
 when they came in bowing, and saying ' Talofa, 
 Tusitala ' ; and then, after kissing him and sitting 
 a while in silence, they bowed again, and saying 
 ' Tofa, Tusitala,' went out. After that our 
 Roman Catholic boys asked if they might ' make 
 a church,' and they chanted prayers and hymns 
 for a long time, very sweetly. . . . We had sent 
 
 for Mr. C , who stayed with us till all was 
 
 over, and made the necessary arrangements for 
 us ; Louis wished to be buried on the top of 
 Vaea Mountain, and before six this morning 
 forty men arrived with axes to cut a path up 
 and dig the grave. Some of Mataafa's chiefs 
 came this morning ; one wept bitterly, saying, 
 ' Mataafa is gone, and Tusitala is gone, and we 
 have none left.' . . . 
 
 They have just gone up the mountain now. 
 The letters must be posted to-night, and I 
 scarcely know what I am writing. None of us 
 has realised yet what has happened, and we 
 shall only feel it all the more as days go by. . . . 
 I feel desolate indeed, and don't know what I 
 shall do. . . . 
 
316 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 Vailima, December 9, 1894. 
 
 LIFE seems to have stood still with us since 
 j Tuesday, and none of us can do anything 
 but think over our loss, which only grows greater 
 as we begin dimly to realise it. No one, at least, 
 was ever more universally mourned than my 
 beloved son. . . . The ascent to the top of Vaea 
 Mountain was a very difficult matter, and many 
 of the men found it more than they could manage. 
 The coffin left half an hour before the invited 
 guests, as the labour of climbing with it was so 
 great ; but there were many relays of loving 
 Samoan hands ready to carry their dear Tusitala 
 to his last home amongst them, and they took 
 the utmost pains to bear him shoulder high, and 
 as steadily and reverently as possible. Behind 
 them came the few near and good friends that 
 we had invited to be present ; and when they 
 reached the top of the mountain they found the 
 coffin laid beside the grave, and covered with 
 the flag that used to fly over us in those happy 
 days upon the Casco. 1 . . . 
 
 As soon as it was lowered into its place, and 
 the wreaths and crosses thrown in till it was 
 hidden from sight, our house-boys seized the 
 spades from the ' outside ' boys who had dug 
 the grave ; no hands but theirs, who had been 
 specially ' Tusitala's family,' should fill it in, and 
 do the last service for him that was left to them. 
 
 1 From Saranac to the Marquesas. Methuen and Co. 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 317 
 
 Mr. C read portions of the Church of Eng- 
 land burial-service, and also a prayer written 
 by Louis himself, which he had read at family 
 worship only the night before his death ; and 
 
 Mr. N gave an address in Samoan, which 
 
 made all who understood it weep ; and prayed 
 also in the same language, that Louis loved so 
 well. . . . When they returned to the house I 
 
 talked for a while to Mr. N , and he told 
 
 me that when he was here more than a year 
 ago Louis told him of his great desire to be 
 buried on the top of Vaea, and showed him 
 where his new study was to be built, with a 
 window from which he could see the place. I 
 wonder if it suggested to him the upliftedness 
 of death. 
 
 It was a terribly tiring day, but perhaps it was 
 good for us that we had no time to ourselves. 
 Many Samoan ladies came to bring us flowers 
 and show their sympathy, and they sat on the 
 verandah for several hours. As soon as the boys 
 returned we gave them tea, but we were thank- 
 ful when it was all over. You see we had had 
 no food ourselves. No one had had time or 
 inclination for eating from midday on Monday, 
 our usual lunch, till Tuesday morning ; and even 
 then we could scarcely take enough to help us 
 through with all that had to be done. I am 
 thankful to know that we got through it some- 
 how. And I am glad, too, to feel how cheerful 
 and happy he was to the very last ; he bore the 
 
318 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 signs of it still about him, and looked so sweet 
 and peaceful, with his face so full of life, and far 
 less thin, it seemed to me, than I had ever seen it. 
 
 I must tell you a very strange thing that 
 occurred just before his death. For a day or 
 two Fanny had been telling us that she knew — 
 that she felt — something dreadful was going to 
 happen to some one we cared for ; as she put it, 
 to one of our friends. On Monday she was 
 very low about it, and upset, and dear Lou tried 
 hard to cheer her. He read aloud to her the 
 chapter of his book that he had just finished, 
 played a game or two of Patience to induce her 
 to look on, and I fancy it was as much for her 
 sake as his own that the Mayonnaise sauce was 
 begun upon. And, strangely enough, both of 
 them had agreed that it could not be to either 
 of them that the dreadful thing was to happen ! 
 Thus far, and no further, can our intuitions, 
 our second sight, go. . . . 
 
 I have had so many letters from our friends 
 here, and especially from the missionaries ; Mr. 
 
 C , indeed, has been like a son to me during 
 
 these sad days. And we are not alone in our 
 grief. Sosimo, Lou's special boy, is quite incon- 
 solable ; he keeps Tusitala's room in exquisite 
 order, and when Fanny and I were there this 
 morning, we were touched to find two glasses 
 filled with beautiful fresh white flowers on the 
 table beside his bed. And the Apia people were 
 deeply disappointed when they found that the 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 319 
 
 funeral was not to be in the little cemetery there ; 
 they say that every man, woman, and child in 
 the place would have attended it. But he seems 
 nearer to us on Vaea. Did I tell you that we 
 had a tree cut down on the mountain, so that now 
 we can see his last resting-place quite distinctly 
 from the verandah ; Fanny would like to have a 
 Scottish cairn erected on the spot, and I am 
 sure our Samoans would be eager to take their 
 share in it. 
 
 Then on Monday we had a visit from Elina. 
 He had been away at Savaii, and had only 
 returned that morning ; his wife met him and 
 told him of our loss before he was out of his 
 boat, and he never went home, but came straight 
 up to Vailima, with a pig that he had brought 
 from Savaii as a Christmas present for his 
 beloved Tusitala. . . . And there was another 
 very touching scene, when the Tongans who 
 were here on Lou's birthday came to show their 
 respect in the manner that is customary in Tonga 
 on the death of a chief. We were warned of 
 their approach by hearing sad and solemn sing- 
 ing, and presently they came — more than twenty 
 of them — walking in three divisions, each carry- 
 ing a pole some twelve feet long, from which 
 hung long streamers made of the bark of a tree 
 dyed in different colours, pink and white and 
 yellow prevailing. Each man and boy also 
 carried a bouquet of flowers made out of the 
 same dyed bark, and very curious ; and they 
 
320 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 wore black lava-lavas and black bands upon 
 their arms. When they came near the house 
 they took a few steps to one side, then stood 
 quite still with their heads bent down upon their 
 breasts, and their leader said, ' We mourn for 
 Tusitala ' ; then a few steps to the other side, 
 and again the bent heads, and — ' We mourn for 
 Tusitala.' This was repeated several times ; 
 and then the banners were brought to the ver- 
 andah and laid at our feet, and we shook hands 
 with them all and sat down, the leader beside us, 
 and the rest at a little distance. The chief made 
 a very nice speech, saying that the Samoans did 
 not love them because they were ' out- 1 slanders,' 
 and Tusitala had been their only friend ; when 
 they heard of his death the whole village was 
 sad and silent as if a great Tongan chief had 
 died. Then they sang a very beautiful hymn, 
 the refrain of which was 'He rests in heaven'; 
 and one of them, who wore a black coat and may 
 have been a native minister, made a very touch- 
 ing prayer. After this kava was served, and we 
 all partook of it with them ; and before they 
 went away they sang to us again. All the 
 banners are to be laid upon the grave, and they 
 have arranged to return next week and carry 
 them up, after our own boys have made the road 
 a little more passable. We gave them a pig when 
 they left, but we were distressed to have had 
 nothing but kava served here, when we found 
 that they had walked eleven miles to come to us ; 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 321 
 
 next week we must see that they have good food 
 when they return from the grave. These Ton- 
 gans are poor people, exiles who fled from 
 Tonga to avoid the harsh government of Mr. 
 , who, I regret to say, is a missionary. 
 
 December 16. 
 
 ANOTHER Sunday without my child; his 
 l\ leaving us was so swift and sudden, that 
 I seem only now to begin to realise that I shall 
 see him on earth no more. . . . Yesterday we 
 had another sad scene to go through, the paying- 
 off of the outside boys ; their last work had been 
 to make a better road to the top of the moun- 
 tain, and it was finished yesterday. In the 
 afternoon we all assembled in the hall, the first 
 time that it had been used since the funeral ; and 
 Lloyd made a speech, explaining how sorry we 
 were that we could not keep them any longer 
 now that Tusitala had left us, and thanking 
 them for all their loving services. One of them 
 replied, saying how happy they had been here, 
 that they had always been made to feel them- 
 selves like members of the family, had been well 
 fed and taken care of when they were sick, and 
 that they were very sorry to go away and leave us. 
 Then they sang a couple of songs of farewell to 
 Tusitala that two of them had composed, and we 
 drank kava together and shook hands with them 
 all. Some of them kissed our hands, as they said, 
 To/a, soifua, ' Farewell, may you live.' . . . 
 
322 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 Of the outside boys we have only kept our old 
 friend Lafaele, who takes care of the cows and 
 pigs, Leuello, Fanny's boy, who works in the 
 garden, and a Tongan who has only one eye, and 
 is delicate as well. Some time ago Lloyd sug- 
 gested to Louis that as he was of little use, he 
 had better be sent away ; but Louis replied that 
 he had no home to go to, and there was every 
 chance of his becoming altogether blind, and that 
 as long as he was at Vailima, the Tongan should 
 have a home there too. Now we feel that he is 
 a precious legacy to us, and the poor boy's look 
 of relief when he found that he was to be allowed 
 to stay on was good to see. But it was nice to 
 find that Talolo had told this boy Tuli that if he 
 had to go, he should have a home in his, Talolo's, 
 family. 
 
 Next Saturday four of the horses are to be 
 sold, two of the riding-horses and the two larger 
 ' carters,' that we need no longer, as the road is 
 so rapidly being finished now, that we shall be 
 able to get our stores brought up by wagon. 
 
 December 23. 
 
 TH E Tongans returned on Wednesday, bring- 
 ing some poles with streamers, and a dozen 
 chickens and some yams as gifts. The same form- 
 alities were gone through as on the last occasion, 
 but there were more of them present, between 
 thirty and forty this time, and some of them were 
 women. They then started to carry their poles 
 
MRS. ivi. I. STEVENSON IN IB 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 323 
 
 to the top of Vaea, and we all followed, save 
 Fanny, who is still far from well. Mr. A — — , 
 the photographer, went with us, to take some 
 photos of the grave. The boys have made, a 
 wonderfully good zigzag path, and I got up with 
 much less fatigue than I expected. It is exactly 
 seven hundred feet above Vailima ; I took up my 
 aneroid to make sure. It is a very lovely rest- 
 ing-place, a small flat plateau on the top of a spur 
 of Vaea ; the ground slopes away from it almost 
 precipitously on all sides, and you look down 
 into two narrow valleys close beneath, and away 
 to high mountains and the beautiful blue Pacific 
 ocean beyond. At one spot there is a view 
 straight down to Vailima, which lies like a toy 
 village far below. 
 
 The dear grave seemed to be just a heap of 
 stones, with a small cross to mark the head. 
 The Tongans sang some hymns, very sweetly, 
 
 while Mr. A photographed it as it was ; then 
 
 they arranged their gifts over it according to the 
 Tongan fashion. They stuck four cleft sticks or 
 posts into the ground at the four corners, and 
 fastened the poles they had carried up into the 
 clefts about eight feet from the ground ; then all 
 the streamers were attached to the poles, the 
 posts were wreathed with greenery and flowers, 
 a few fresh blossoms were fastened in at the top 
 of the streamers, and all the bark bouquets were 
 scattered on the grave. It had a very strange 
 and quaint effect, rather like the hangings of an 
 
324 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 old-fashioned four-poster bed ; I think my dear 
 Lou would have liked it, he was always so 
 interested in these curious national ceremonies. 
 
 When all was finished, Mr. A photographed 
 
 the grave, first alone, and then with the Ton- 
 gans grouped on one side, and our Vailima and 
 Tanugamonono friends on the other. Some of 
 these views I hope to send you home, and this 
 description will make them clear to you. 
 
 New Year's Day, 1895. 
 
 THE mail came in, bringing the last letters 
 that we shall get from you, written before 
 you hear of our loss ; their very cheerfulness 
 made us all the sadder. I could not but think 
 of the last mail that came in while we were eating 
 our Thanksgiving dinner, and how we were all 
 longing to get to our letters. Mr. Gosse had 
 sent Louis his ' Poem to Tusitala,' and Lou read 
 it to us next day, with so much pleasure in it. 
 He also had a delightful letter from J. M. Barrie, 
 who could not leave his mother then as she was 
 so frail, but ' still hoped to come to Samoa ' ; and 
 now, alas ! it is too late. 
 
 I cannot help quoting a few words from a letter 
 that came to ' the grieving family at Vailima ' — 
 
 ' My love ! I have received this letter written 
 for me, and it has added increasingly to my grief. 
 I am beside myself at this time, and hardly know 
 what I am doing, because there has come to me 
 the heavy news of the farewell of the friend, 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 325 
 
 dearly beloved ; he was indeed very dear to me ; 
 my heart is faint, and my whole body weak, I am 
 overcome with grief. Sorrow, exceeding, has 
 come to me, because of the departure of Tusitala. 
 . . . Alas ! for the lady-mother, filled with grief 
 in the remembrance of the chief who was attended 
 by her when little, and who became the substitute 
 for his father ! . . . I who write this am grieved 
 with you. ... I will go yet that we may grieve 
 together. ..." 
 
 The letters are to be sent down early, so I 
 have no time to write more. Little Austin starts 
 this afternoon or to-morrow morning for New 
 Zealand, where he is to go to school ; what a 
 small household we shall be henceforth, and what 
 a sad one, longing always for 
 
 ' The touch of a vanished hand, 
 And the sound of a voice that is still.' 
 
 Vailima, January 6, 1895. 
 
 I HAD to finish my last letter hurriedly, as 
 it was New Year's Day, and the boys went 
 off early to Apia for a holiday. . . . 
 
 You have no idea how many changes there 
 seem to be about us in the last sad weeks. 
 The Land Commission has finished its work, and 
 
 Mr. H will leave for home in three weeks ; 
 
 some other friends left last Friday ; and poor 
 Austin, who started for Auckland on Thursday, 
 had such a melancholy send-off. He went down 
 first on Wednesday, with his mother, in a pour 
 
326 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 of rain ; then heard that the boat would not sail 
 till next day, because the heavy swell prevented 
 the cargo from being discharged ; so home they 
 came again, late at night, and wet through. We 
 were sorry he had not stayed at the hotel for the 
 night. However, there he was, and before six next 
 morning — another pouring wet day — he and his 
 mother set off once more to walk down to Apia. 
 Meanwhile the captain had got nervous about 
 the weather, because the man-o'-war had gone 
 outside the reef, and wanted to be off too ; he 
 had hurriedly whistled-up the passengers, and 
 but for a friend forcibly detaining the boat till 
 Austin appeared, he would have been left behind. 
 As it was, he was bundled in like a bale of good^. 
 Poor boy, what a different start to the first time, 
 when we were all there to see him off! 
 
 Even the weather is miserable, the most de-. 
 cided wet season I have yet seen in Samoa, more 
 like the storm that I had a peep at for two nights 
 on my flying visit here in March '91. The rain 
 began on Tuesday and went on without inter- 
 mission for four days ; and what rain ! the noise is 
 deafening — a roar of water. Last night it began 
 again, and now, though fair, it is so dark and 
 gloomy that it is like a home November sky. 
 
 January 13. 
 
 WE have got many letters and newspapers 
 from New Zealand and Australia, and 
 I am grieved to find that you did not receive 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 327 
 
 the telegrams we sent you till after the news 
 was published in the papers. I do hope you 
 were not long kept in suspense ; the wire was 
 to be despatched immediately on arrival at 
 San Francisco, but they warned us that press 
 despatches would be sent through first. 
 
 I don't think I told you of a remark made by 
 the doctor of the Wallaroo that haunts me con- 
 stantly. We were watching round dear Lou, 
 Fanny and I were rubbing his arms with brandy, 
 and his shirt-sleeves were pushed up, and showed 
 their thinness ; some one made a remark about his 
 
 writing, and Dr. A said, ' How can anybody 
 
 write books with arms like these ? ' 
 
 I turned round indignantly and burst out 
 with, ' He has written all his books with arms 
 like these ! ' 
 
 I don't think I was ever before so terribly 
 impressed with the greatness of the struggle 
 that my beloved child had made against his bad 
 health. He has written at the rate of a volume 
 a year for the last twenty years, in spite of weak- 
 ness which most people would have looked on 
 as an excuse for confirmed invalidism ; and he 
 has lived, too, and loved his life in spite of it all. 
 Do you remember how years ago, when some 
 one was comforting him by saying that the 
 Balfours always got stronger as they grew older, 
 he replied, ' Yes ; but just as I begin to outgrow 
 the Balfour delicacy, the Nemesis of the short- 
 lived Stevensons will come in and finish me off ! ' 
 
328 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 That has been at the back of my mind all these 
 years, and you see it has come true. I wonder 
 if it would have been better to let him start in 
 the John Williams, as he proposed, and get a 
 complete rest. But there is no use in asking 
 oneself such questions ; it seemed so unwise then, 
 and who could foresee what was to happen ? 
 
 Lafaele told us that when he was on his way 
 to milk the cows a very short time before Louis 
 was struck down, he saw him throw open the 
 Venetian shutters of his window, and gaze up 
 at the top of Vaea Mountain ; when he noticed 
 Lafaele he waved his hand, and called talofa to 
 him quite cheerily. . . . 
 
 The heather has arrived safely, and we covered 
 an anchor-shape with it, and yesterday I took it 
 up Vaea. The ladies of the Papauta school had 
 wished to take up a wreath, and another friend 
 had sent one of white immortelles ; so yesterday 
 I climbed the mountain once more, with Sosimo 
 and Mitaele to help us, and we laid our wreaths 
 on the dear resting-place, and planted some 
 frangipani. It was looking very lovely, and all 
 the colour has been washed out of the Tongan 
 decorations, but that was little loss. There was 
 a wonderful silence and peace up there, under 
 a sky grey enough for once to recall the home 
 he loved so well. 
 
 I have little heart to write of other things. 
 Four of our boys are ill with a prevailing epi- 
 demic that some say is influenza, and others call 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 329 
 
 dengue fever; I don't know which is right, but 
 it seems to prostrate the victim thoroughly, and 
 to leave great weakness after. I hope we shall 
 have no more of it. I must not forget, by the 
 bye, to tell you a nice thing about Elina — the 
 man who had the wen removed. The Samoans 
 despise any kind of deformity very greatly, so 
 he was looked down upon on account of the 
 growth ; but since it was removed, he has paid 
 a visit to his family in Savaii, where he was 
 received with open arms, acclaimed as a manaia, 
 or beau, and given a 'chief name and a 'chief 
 head-dress. He came back, as you can under- 
 stand, a very big and happy person. Well, he 
 was recently told that henceforth we were going 
 to wash most of the clothes at home, and only give 
 him the finer things ; and this was his reply — 
 
 ' When Tusitala first came I was a poor 
 despised man, feeding on grass (wild taro, etc., 
 from the bush), and I hungered and thirsted for 
 Tusitala's money ; now I am rich and beautiful, 
 and a chief, and if you will give me all the 
 clothes I will gladly wash them for nothing ! ' 
 
 Don't you think it was nice of the poor fellow ? 
 
 I am not sure of my own plans yet. At first 
 I intended to stay on here till the end of the 
 year, but I begin to think I ought to go home 
 sooner. I must of course be here to see Charles 
 Baxter, but it is just possible that I may leave 
 Samoa on my way home to you about the end 
 of March. I cannot settle yet, and I feel very 
 
33° LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 confused. Just now I am changing rooms, so 
 as to give up mine to Charles Baxter ; he will 
 feel the mosquitoes less behind the wire gauze, 
 and they are bad at this season. Kapele is hard 
 at work under my superintendence ; the matting 
 is all down now, and to-day the new chintz 
 covers are being put on, and the room is at last 
 all finished, too late. How sad it all is. 
 
 Vailima, February 3, 1895. 
 
 CHARLES BAXTER is here. 
 He had a very stormy passage all the 
 way from Sydney, and passed through a severe 
 hurricane which obliged them to ' lie-to ' for 
 eleven hours. The boat should have arrived 
 on Wednesday, and Lloyd went to Apia to meet 
 it ; but the day passed, and Thursday came, and 
 still there was no steamer. We were on the 
 watch constantly, till at 6 p.m. the flag went up 
 that showed she was at last in sight. Even 
 then, however, we were afraid to expect too 
 much ; it was a pouring wet night, and when by 
 ten o'clock no one had arrived, we made sure 
 they had stayed in Apia and would not come 
 up till morning. We all went to bed : and lo, 
 just as I was falling asleep about eleven, I heard 
 voices, rushed into my dressing-gown, ran to 
 the door and called out, ' Is that you, Charles ? ' 
 And there he was, at Vailima at last ; but alas ! 
 only to find the dead body of Vailima, the life 
 and soul having departed. 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 331 
 
 We had a long talk before we went to bed 
 for the second time, and indeed have been talk- 
 ing more or less ever since. Friday was a lovely 
 day, so his first impression of Vailima (by day- 
 light) has been a pleasant one. He acknowledges 
 it is beautiful, and said to me, 'Now I don't 
 wonder that you came back here.' The woods 
 at present are at their very best, splendidly 
 green after the rain ; and the fuafua trees are 
 in full blossom, a lovely shade of pink in masses, 
 that at a distance might be pink hawthorn. I 
 have never seen such heavy bloom as this year, 
 I suppose the very wet season suits them. 
 
 Charles brought us all the two first volumes 
 of our sets of the ' Edinburgh Edition.' My 
 set has To my Mother on a separate page at 
 the beginning of each volume, and Fanny, Belle, 
 and Lloyd have all suitable inscriptions inserted 
 in the same way. They are handsome books, 
 beautifully turned out in every respect ; and my 
 dear Lou's copy is lovely, printed on Japanese 
 paper and bound in crimson morocco. It is 
 heart-breaking to think that if he had lived just 
 two little months longer, he would have seen 
 it ; and he would have been so much pleased. 
 I can see him fingering it as he used to finger 
 An Inland Voyage when it was first published. 
 And how happy he would have been in Charles's 
 presence here. 
 
 The more I think about your time of anxiety 
 and suspense, the more I am grieved about it, 
 
332 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 and yet I do not think we were much to blame. 
 We were advised not to trust the messages to 
 the Sydney and Auckland steamers, which were 
 very irregular and undependable just then ; their 
 own agent could not tell us anything definite 
 about them, and, moreover, they do not usually 
 go direct, but round by Tonga and Fiji and other 
 islands. I can't help thinking that on this occa- 
 sion they changed their course, and did go direct, 
 that they might have the credit of being first to 
 tell the sad news. 
 
 February 10. 
 
 A PERFECT day, everything dazzlingly 
 beautiful ; how I long for the dear master 
 to be here to enjoy it. Last week was very wet, 
 so that Charles Baxter was kept mostly to the 
 house, which was vexing. He is charmed with 
 the little he has yet seen of the place and the 
 people, but he finds the mosquitoes a terrible 
 drawback ; he suffers severely from them, much 
 more than any of us have ever done, and has 
 been obliged to give up sitting on the verandah. 
 Even in his bedroom, which the wire gauze is 
 supposed to render insect-proof, he cannot sleep 
 without mosquito-nets. They are all going off 
 on a malanga very soon to show Charles some- 
 thing of the beauties of Samoa. I shall stay at 
 home and pack ; for if I leave, as I have now 
 decided to do, by the March boat, I must begin 
 to get things together. 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 333 
 
 I had a small adventure yesterday. I was on 
 my way to visit the school at Papauta, and had 
 reached the place where our path joins the road, 
 when I found that the joining was marked by a 
 little ditch — I suppose to carry off the water. 
 My horse, Vai Vai, positively refused even to 
 look at the obstacle. I tried persuasion, both by 
 voice and whip, without avail, so I got off and 
 tried to lead her, but found she could pull me 
 much more easily than I could pull her. Con- 
 sequently I mounted again (much pleased with 
 myself for getting up and down without any 
 help), and rode back for assistance. I found 
 that Ludo, Fanny's boy, was just going to ride 
 to Apia, so I told him to be quick and go with 
 me. He appeared at once with nothing on but 
 a lava-lava, and carrying his saddle and bridle 
 and various articles of clothing in his arms ; in a 
 trice he had got his horse ready, mounted, and 
 we set off, while he put on the rest of his gar- 
 ments for all the world like a circus-rider. The 
 last thing he did was to take something out of 
 a little leather bag that was strapped round his 
 waist ; I wondered what in the world it could be, 
 and seeing my interest, he held it out with a 
 proud grin to show me that it was his . . . false 
 tooth ! Some time ago he had had a front tooth 
 taken out on account of the great pain it was 
 setting up, and he was in such distress at having 
 his beauty spoiled that Fanny gave him this one 
 to replace it, to his immense pride and joy. The 
 
334 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 putting-in of that tooth was therefore the coping- 
 stone of his toilet. 
 
 February 17. 
 
 THEY started on their malanga on Wednes- 
 day. Tuesday was a busy day of pre- 
 paration, and Charles Baxter came to me quite 
 anxiously, saying, ' I am certain not one of us 
 can get into the boat ; they are taking enough 
 furniture for a house, and enough provisions to 
 last a twelvemonth ! ' The weather, since they 
 started, has been extraordinarily fine for the 
 season, so I trust the trip will be a success. 
 Their first visit was to be to Tamasese. Lloyd 
 wrote to announce their coming, and signed him- 
 self your true friend; he got back a delighted 
 reply, which wound up with your darling friend\ 
 Tamasese, however, warned Lloyd that he must 
 on no account bring any of Malietoa's people 
 with him, or they might have their heads cut 
 off before he, Tamasese, had time to interfere ; 
 which is not a very pleasant picture of the coun- 
 try they are going through. Lloyd decided, 
 under the circumstances, to engage the Tongans 
 as boatmen, as they are neutrals ; and they have 
 taken besides only our two young boys, Mitaele 
 and Kapele, who, being still untattooed, are 
 looked upon as children, and are therefore safe 
 anywhere. It was my dear Louis who had 
 planned out this trip for Charles, and he wished 
 Fanny to go too, as she has never yet been on a 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 335 
 
 malanga; so we all insisted that she must go 
 and carry out his wishes. I have no doubt it is 
 very trying for her, but I hope it will do her 
 good in the end. 
 
 February 24. 
 
 WE expected the malanga party home on 
 Wednesday evening, but they did not 
 arrive ; and you may imagine how distressed 
 I was when Mitaele appeared on Thursday 
 morning to tell me that they were close behind 
 him, but that Lloyd was very ill. He has got 
 dengue fever, just when we thought we were all 
 going to escape it. Fortunately the road is now 
 so far advanced that they were able to drive up 
 all the way, and poor Lloyd was half carried 
 into the house and put straight to bed. He has 
 been alarmingly ill ever since, and has needed 
 constant attendance and nursing ; so terribly 
 weak and faint that we were very anxious about 
 him. The doctor says he is going on well, but 
 that he will need great care, and that it will be 
 a long time before he gets his strength back. I 
 
336 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 but at last we found that a half-caste, to whom 
 we had been specially kind, had taken the story 
 to the Times office, and declared that he could 
 prove it. This was too much, and we felt that 
 it was high time to take some steps ; so we sent 
 an emphatic denial to both the papers, and 
 
 Mr. was apprehended on Saturday night 
 
 and lodged in the prison. We are told that he 
 was heard crying out for some one to come 
 and stand bail for him, but no one paid the least 
 attention ; which I hope may teach him to be 
 a little more careful in his inventions for the 
 future. 
 
 February 28. 
 
 LLOYD is improving, though we are warned 
 4 that in dengtie fever relapses are common 
 and dangerous, and great care must be taken 
 well into convalescence. It is certainly a horrid 
 complaint. 
 
 At last we have heard from G , who left 
 
 us, as it seems to me, ages ago, on a trip round 
 the islands. How often and anxiously we have 
 wondered of late where he was. He writes now 
 from the Marshall Islands on the 24th of January, 
 and no word of the sadness that had been flash- 
 ing round the world for some six weeks had then 
 reached him. Truly, the South Seas are the 
 world's backwaters. ... He had a chance to 
 go on to Manila and China that was too good 
 to lose, so he will not be back here till the 
 
LETTERS FROM SAMOA 337 
 
 middle of May, by which time I expect to be 
 arriving in London. I am very sorry to miss 
 him, and we had hoped he would be here along 
 with Charles Baxter, to talk over many matters, 
 posthumous publications, the life, and so on. In 
 the meantime I fancy that Louis's letters to Sidney 
 Colvin, which have been regular and full, will be 
 brought out with as little delay as possible. 
 
 And now I must stop, for the mail goes out 
 to-day. For the third time within two years I 
 am starting shortly on a journey half-round the 
 world, and in less than three months I hope to 
 be with you ; if I go straight home, I am not 
 sure whether any letters after this will reach you 
 more than a few days earlier than I myself. In 
 any case, this is the last time I shall write to you 
 from Samoa. The last time. ... I will say no 
 more. I cannot realise yet how much I must 
 leave behind me on Vaea, nor how much has 
 come to an end for me here ... on earth. 
 
INDEX 
 
 Addition to house, 230, 256, 
 
 276. 
 Apia, impressions of, 34. 
 Hospital at, 284. 
 
 ' Balfour delicacy,' 327. 
 ' Balfour, David,' finished, 230. 
 ' Ballads,' 39. 
 Barbedines, 83, 99, 137. 
 Baxter, Charles, 299, 330. 
 Birthday, gift of, 76, 101. 
 
 feast, last, 309. 
 
 Blue Mountains, 266, 269. 
 Books, varnishing of, 94, 114, 126. 
 
 enemies of, 126. 
 
 'Bottle Imp,' Hi. 
 Brain-fag (R. L. S.), 230. 
 Bread-fruit, method of growth, 135. 
 
 Cacao, 98, 106, no, 134. 
 
 description of, 137. 
 
 Calendar, changes of, 191, 260. 
 Cannibalism, remains of, 214. 
 Catholic Mission in Vaea, 308. 
 Ceremonial, Tongan death, 319, 
 322. 
 
 £az>a-drinking, 144, 163, 186. 
 
 Chalmers, Mr., 9. 
 
 Chiefs' Road, 291, 292, 295, 297. 
 
 Christmas-tree, 256. 
 
 Curacoa leaves for home, 306. 
 
 Dancing, native, 231, 299, 310. 
 
 Tongan, 299. 
 
 ' David Balfour ' finished, 230. 
 Death, premonition of, 318. 
 
 3S8 
 
 Death, Tongan mourning for, 319, 
 
 322. 
 Dengue fever, 329, 335, 336. 
 Deportation of R. L. S. rumoured, 
 
 242. 
 Designs for tapa, 198. 
 
 ' Edinburgh Edition,' 331. 
 
 dedication to Mrs. 
 
 Stevenson, 331. 
 Egg fruit, 51, 239. 
 Enemies of books, 126. 
 Examination at Mootaa, 222. 
 at Leulumoenga, 197, 287. 
 
 Feast, the last birthday, 309. 
 Fish-bones as lancets, 229. 
 Fishing, native method of, 196. 
 Fono (feast) at Mali£, 175. 
 Forts shelled during war, 284, 286. 
 Fuafua trees, 331. 
 Furniture, 276. 
 
 Gosse, ' Poem to Tusitala,' 324. 
 Grass, method of growing, 73. 
 
 ' Hearts, Road of Loving,' 291, 
 
 292, 295, 297. 
 High School at Leulumoenga, 207. 
 Horses, epidemic among, 127. 
 Hospital in Apia, 284. 
 
 Ill-health of R. L. S. , lifelong, 
 
 327- 
 Influenza, 98, 105, 260, 287. 
 ' Inland Voyage, An,' 331. 
 
INDEX 
 
 339 
 
 Jenolan Caves, the, 266. 
 
 J Lady, 209, 220, 223, 225. 
 
 Katoomba, 269. 
 
 Kava, ceremonial of, 144, 163, 
 186. 
 
 traditions represented by, 218. 
 
 King of Tonga, 48. 
 Kiwi, 46. 
 
 Lady J , 209, 220, 223, 225. 
 
 Lancets, fish-bones as, 229. 
 Land Commission ended, 325. 
 Lantana, 122. 
 
 Letters to Sidney Colvin, 337. 
 Leulumoenga, 197, 287. 
 
 High School at, 207. 
 
 Normal School at, 208. 
 
 Libel, threatened, against R. L. S., 
 
 238. 
 Libellous reports, 336. 
 Lord Howe Island, 263. 
 Lotu, 250. 
 
 Mace, 75. 
 Mahogany trees, 68. 
 Malie, 166, 168, 175, 225. 
 Malietoa, 91, 136, 157, 234, 279. 
 Malua, 192. 
 
 University at, 203. 
 
 Maoris, 45. 
 
 Mataafa, 166, 168, 216. 
 
 Matafele, Church at, 224. 
 
 H/To» fYTJoll tcR 
 
 Native dancing, 231-319. 
 
 medicine, 187, 228. 
 
 method of fishing, 196. 
 
 method of milking, 79. 
 
 superstitions, 61, 70, 187. 
 
 surgery, 229. 
 
 Nerli, portrait by, 226, 229. 
 
 New Guinea, R. L. S. proposes to 
 
 visit, 301. 
 Normal school at Leulumoenga, 
 
 208. 
 Nutmeg trees, 75. 
 
 Palolo, 245. 
 
 Palusami, 221, 244. 
 
 Papa£ia, or ' Sliding Rock,' 222. 
 
 Fapaloloa, visit to, 277. 
 
 Papauta school, 154, 192, 219. 
 
 Paradise, 45. 
 
 Paton, Dr. (New Hebrides), 24. 
 
 Peanut, growth of, 136. 
 
 Premonition of death, 318. 
 
 Princes Street, first shops in, 295. 
 
 Reports, libellous, 336. 
 Revision of Treaty, meeting to con- 
 sider, 138. 
 Rifles, reported sale of, by R. L. S., 
 
 335- 
 Ringarooma, H.M.S., arrival of, 
 
 242. 
 Road of Loving Hearts, the, 291, 
 
 292,295,297. 
 
 T2nar\ trt Aviia fh*» TAT 
 
34° 
 
 LETTERS FROM SAMOA 
 
 R. L. S. presides at public meeting, 
 
 138. 
 
 portrait by Nerli, 226, 229. 
 
 political interview with Mata- 
 
 afa, 168. 
 
 premonition of death, 3 1 8. 
 
 proposes visit to New Guinea, 
 
 301. 
 
 rumoured deportation, 242. 
 
 Sydney, illness at, 29. 
 
 Thanksgiving, last, 313. 
 
 works referred to, 26, 64, 95, 
 
 III, 215, 230, 331. 
 — — 'Wrecker,' 64, 95, 215. 
 
 Samoa, first sight of, 34. 
 
 leaves for home, 260, 337. 
 
 returns to, 52, 273. 
 
 Samoans, first impressions of, 38. 
 School at Leulumoenga, High, 207. 
 
 at Mootaa, 222. 
 
 at Papauta, 154, 192, 219. 
 
 Shops, first, in Princes Street, 295. 
 Siva, or native dance, 231, 299. 
 ' Sliding Rock,' the, 222. 
 South Sea letters, 26, 95. 
 Standing a sign of irreverence, 
 
 199, 201. 
 Sunday-school, R. L. S. addresses, 
 
 233- 
 Superstitions, native, 61, 70, 187. 
 Surgery, native, 229. 
 Sydney, illness at, 29. 
 
 Tamasese, 208, 291, 334. 
 Tamate (Mr. Chalmers), 9. 
 Tanugamanono, 120, 141, 142. 
 Tapa, deiigns for, 198. 
 
 Thanksgiving, last, 313. 
 Tongan dancing, 299. 
 
 mourning, 319, 322. 
 
 Traditions in kava ceremonials, 
 
 218. 
 Treaty, meeting to consider revision 
 
 of, 138. 
 Trees, fuafua, 331. 
 
 mahogany, 68. 
 
 nutmeg, 75. 
 
 Tusitala, R. L. S.'s native name, 
 
 96. 
 
 ' University ' at Malua, 203. 
 
 Vaea, 57, 315, 316, 322, 328. 
 
 Catholic Mission, 308. 
 
 Vailima, 34, 54, 302. 
 Vaisigano River, 86, 277. 
 Vanilla, method of growing, 36. 
 Varnish for books, 94, 114, 126. 
 Vavau, 50. 
 
 Vine-ula Club started, 147. 
 'Voyage, An Inland,' 331. 
 
 Wakatifu, 41. 
 
 Wallaroo, H.M.S., arrives, 306. 
 War, rumours of, 62, 216, 270, 
 275, 282. 
 
 forts shelled, 284, 286. 
 
 picnics during, 277, 289. 
 
 party, visit from, 283. 
 
 end of, 291. 
 
 Water-supply, 304. 
 'Wrecker, The,' 64, 95, 215. 
 
 dedication in Mrs. Stevenson's 
 
 copy, 215. 
 
 Printed by T. and A. Constable, Printers te His Majesty 
 at the Edinburgh University Press