y consented, but said,
if we got on well with the king, he would even proceed with me to Malie.
Yesterday, in consequence, I rode down to W.'s house by eight in the
morning; waited till ten; received a message that the king was stopped
by a meeting with the president and _faipule_; made another engagement
for seven at night; came up; went down; waited till eight, and came away
again, _bredouille_, and a dead body. The poor, weak, enslaved king had
not dared to come to me even in secret. Now I have to-day for a rest,
and to-morrow to Malie. Shall I be suffered to embark? It is very
doubtful; they are on the trail. On Thursday, a policeman came up to me
and began that a boy had been to see him, and said I was going to see
Mataafa.--"And what did you say?" said I.--"I told him I did not know
about where you were going," said he.--"A very good answer," said I, and
turned away. It is lashing rain to-day, but to-morrow, rain or shine, I
must at least make the attempt; and I am so weary, and the weather looks
so bad. I could half wish they would arrest me on the beach. All this
bother and pother to try and bring a little chance of peace; all this
opposition and obstinacy in people who remain here by the mere
forbearance of Mataafa, who has a great force within six miles of their
government buildings, which are indeed only the residences of white
officials. To understand how I have been occupied, you must know that
"Misi Mea" has had another letter, and this time had to answer himself;
think of doing so in a language so obscure to me, with the aid of a
Bible, concordance, and dictionary! What a wonderful Baboo compilation
it must have been! I positively expected to hear news of its arrival in
Malie by the sound of laughter. I doubt if you will be able to read this
scrawl, but I have managed to scramble somehow up to date; and
to-morrow, one way or another, should be interesting. But as for me, I
am a wreck, as I have no doubt style and handwriting both testify.

8 P.M.--Wonderfully rested; feel almost fit for to-morrow's dreary
excursion--not that it will be dreary if the weather favour, but
otherwise it will be death; and a native feast, and I fear I am in for a
big one, is a thing I loathe. I wonder if you can really conceive me as
a politician in this extra-mundane sphere--presiding at public meetings,
drafting proclamations, receiving mis-addressed letters that have been
carried all night through tropical forests? It seems s