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A Footnote to History-Part26_ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON(1850-1894)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

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turned at least to the war-ships, where it seems he was rebuffed;

thence he fled into the arms of the wrecker gang, where he was



unhappily more successful. The government of Washington had

presented to the Samoan king the wrecks of the TRENTON and the



VANDALIA; an American syndicate had been formed to break them up;

an experienced gang was in consequence settled in Apia and the



report of submarine explosions had long grown familiar in the ears

of residents. From these artificers the president obtained a



supply of dynamite, the needful mechanism, and the loan of a

mechanic; the gaol was mined, and the Manono people in Vaiusu were



advertised of the fact in a letter signed by Laupepa. Partly by

the indiscretion of the mechanic, who had sought to embolden



himself (like Lady Macbeth) with liquor for his somewhat dreadful

task, the story leaked immediately out and raised a very general,



or I might say almost universal, reprobation. Some blamed the

proposed deed because it was barbarous and a foul example to set



before a race half barbarous itself; others because it was illegal;

others again because, in the face of so weak an enemy, it appeared



pitifully pusillanimous; almost all because it tended to

precipitate and embitter war. In the midst of the turmoil he had



raised, and under the immediate pressure of certain indignant white

residents, the baron fell back upon a new expedient, certainly less



barbarous, perhaps no more legal; and on Monday afternoon,

September 7th, packed his six prisoners on board the cutter



LANCASHIRE LASS, and deported them to the neighbouring low-island

group of the Tokelaus. We watched her put to sea with mingled



feelings. Anything were better than dynamite, but this was not

good. The men had been summoned in the name of law; they had



surrendered; the law had uttered its voice; they were under one

sentence duly delivered; and now the president, by no right with



which we were acquainted, had exchanged it for another. It was

perhaps no less fortunate, though it was more pardonable in a



stranger, that he had increased the punishment to that which, in

the eyes of Samoans, ranks next to death, - exile from their native



land and friends. And the LANCASHIRE LASS appeared to carry away

with her into the uttermost parts of the sea the honour of the



administration and the prestige of the supreme court.

The policy of the government towards Mataafa has thus been of a



piece throughout; always would-be violent, it has been almost

always defaced with some appearance of perfidy or unfairness. The



policy of Mataafa (though extremely bewildering to any white)

appears everywhere consistent with itself, and the man's bearing



has always been calm. But to represent the fulness of the

contrast, it is necessary that I should give some description of



the two capitals, or the two camps, and the ways and means of the

regular and irregular government.



MULINUU. Mulinuu, the reader may remember, is a narrow finger of

land planted in cocoa-palms, which runs forth into the lagoon



perhaps three quarters of a mile. To the east is the bay of Apia.

To the west, there is, first of all, a mangrove swamp, the



mangroves excellently green, the mud ink-black, and its face

crawled upon by countless insects and black and scarlet crabs.



Beyond the swamp is a wide and shallow bay of the lagoon, bounded

to the west by Faleula Point. Faleula is the next village to



Malie; so that from the top of some tall palm in Malie it should be

possible to descry against the eastern heavens the palms of



Mulinuu. The trade wind sweeps over the low peninsula and cleanses




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