heir pipes out something of the
suddenest--we thought the big drum was gone, but Simele flew to the
rescue. And so they wound away down the hill with ever another call of
the bugle, leaving us extinct with fatigue, but perhaps the most
contented hosts that ever watched the departure of successful guests.
Simply impossible to tell how well these blue-jackets behaved; a most
interesting lot of men; this education of boys for the navy is making a
class, wholly apart--how shall I call them?--a kind of lower-class
public school boy, well-mannered, fairly intelligent, sentimental as a
sailor. What is more shall be writ on board ship if anywhere.

Please send _Catriona_ to G. Meredith.

_S.S. Mariposa._--To-morrow I reach Honolulu. Good-morning to your
honour.

R. L. S.

TO SIDNEY COLVIN

In the interval between the last letter and this, the writer had been
down with a sharp and prolonged attack of fever at Honolulu, and Mrs.
Stevenson had come from Samoa to nurse and take him home.

_Waikiki, Honolulu, H. I., Oct. 23rd, 1893._

DEAR COLVIN,--My wife came up on the steamer and we go home together in
2 days. I am practically all right, only sleepy and tired easily, slept
yesterday from 11 to 11.45, from 1 to 2.50, went to bed at 8 P.M., and
with an hour's interval slept till 6 A.M., close upon 14 hours out of
the 24. We sail to-morrow. I am anxious to get home, though this has
been an interesting visit, and politics have been curious indeed to
study. We go to P.P.C. on the "Queen" this morning; poor, recluse lady,
_abreuvee d'injures qu'elle est_. Had a rather annoying lunch on board
the American man-of-war, with a member of the P.G. (provisional
government); and a good deal of anti-royalist talk, which I had to sit
out--not only for my host's sake, but my fellow guests. At last, I took
the lead and changed the conversation.

R. L. S.

I am being busted here by party named Hutchinson.[70] Seems good.

[_Vailima--November._]--Home again, and found all well, thank God. I am
perfectly well again and ruddier than the cherry. Please note that 8000
is not bad for a volume of short stories;[71] the _Merry Men_ did a good
deal worse; the short story never sells. I hope _Catriona_ will do; that
is the important. The reviews seem mixed and perplexed, and one had the
peculiar virtue to make me angry. I am in a fair way to expiscate my
family history. Fanny and I had a lovely voyage down, wit