d one of our
small number accordingly refused to sign. Him I had to go and persuade,
which went off very well after the first hottish moments; you have no
idea how stolid my temper is now. By about five the thing was done; and
we sat down to dinner at the Chinaman's--the Verrey or Doyen of
Apia--Gurr and I at each end as hosts; Gurr's wife--Fanua, late maid of
the village; her (adopted) father and mother, Seumanu and Faatulia,
Fanny, Belle, Lloyd, Austin, and Henry Simele, his last appearance.
Henry was in a kilt of grey shawl, with a blue jacket, white shirt, and
black necktie, and looked like a dark genteel guest in a Highland
shooting-box. Seumanu (opposite Fanny, next G.) is chief of Apia, a
rather big gun in this place, looking like a large, fatted, military
Englishman, bar the colour. Faatulia, next me, is a bigger chief than
her husband. Henry is a chief too--his chief name, Iiga (Ee-eeng-a), he
has not yet "taken" because of his youth. We were in fine society, and
had a pleasant meal-time, with lots of fun. Then to the Opera--I beg
your pardon, I mean the Circus. We occupied the first row in the
reserved seats, and there in the row behind were all our
friends--Captain Foss and his Captain-Lieutenant, three of the American
officers, very nice fellows, the Dr., etc., so we made a fine show of
what an embittered correspondent of the local paper called "the shoddy
aristocracy of Apia"; and you should have seen how we carried on, and
how I clapped, and Captain Foss hollered "_wunderschoen!_" and threw
himself forward in his seat, and how we all in fact enjoyed ourselves
like school-children, Austin not a shade more than his neighbours. Then
the Circus broke up, and the party went home, but I stayed down, having
business on the morrow.

Yesterday, October 12th, great news reaches me, and Lloyd and I, with
the mail just coming in, must leave all, saddle, and ride down. True
enough, the President had resigned! Sought to resign his presidency of
the council, and keep his advisership to the King; given way to the
consuls' objections and resigned all--then fell out with them about the
disposition of the funds, and was now trying to resign from his
resignation! Sad little President, so trim to look at, and I believe so
kind to his little wife! Not only so, but I meet Dunnet on the beach.
Dunnet calls me in consultation, and we make with infinite difficulty a
draft of a petition to the King.... Then to dinner at Moors's, a v