a new German war-ship, the _Eber_, of tragic memory, came to
Apia from the Gilberts, where she had been disarming turbulent islands.
The rest of that day and all night she loaded stores from the firm, and
on the morrow reached Saluafata bay. Thanks to the misconduct of the
Mataafas, the most of the foreshore was still in the hands of the
Tamaseses; and they were thus able to receive from the _Eber_ both the
stores and weapons. The weapons had been sold long since to Tarawa,
Apaiang, and Pleasant Island; places unheard of by the general reader,
where obscure inhabitants paid for these instruments of death in money or
in labour, misused them as it was known they would be misused, and had
been disarmed by force. The _Eber_ had brought back the guns to a German
counter, whence many must have been originally sold; and was here
engaged, like a shopboy, in their distribution to fresh purchasers. Such
is the vicious circle of the traffic in weapons of war. Another aid of a
more metaphysical nature was ministered by the _Eber_ to Tamasese, in the
shape of uncountable German flags. The full history of this epidemic of
bunting falls to be told in the next chapter. But the fact has to be
chronicled here, for I believe it was to these flags that we owe the
visit of the _Adams_, and my next and best authentic glance into a native
camp. The _Adams_ arrived in Saluafata on the 26th. On the morrow Leary
and Moors landed at the village. It was still occupied by Mataafas,
mostly from Manono and Savaii, few in number, high in spirit. The
Tamasese pickets were meanwhile within musket range; there was maintained
a steady sputtering of shots; and yet a party of Tamasese women were here
on a visit to the women of Manono, with whom they sat talking and
smoking, under the fire of their own relatives. It was reported that
Leary took part in a council of war, and promised to join with his
broadside in the next attack. It is certain he did nothing of the sort:
equally certain that, in Tamasese circles, he was firmly credited with
having done so. And this heightens the extraordinary character of what I
have now to tell. Prudence and delicacy alike ought to have forbid the
camp of Tamasese to the feet of either Leary or Moors. Moors was the
original--there was a time when he had been the only--opponent of the
puppet king. Leary had driven him from the seat of government; it was
but a week or two since he had threatened to bombard him i