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too true in sense. We're quarrelling, the villages, we've beaten the wooden drums, Sa femisai o nu'u, sa taia o pate, Is confounded thereby the justice, Ua atuatuvale a le faamasino e, The chief justice, the terrified justice, Le faamasino sili, le faamasino se, Is on the point of running away the justice, O le a solasola le faamasino e, The justice denied any influence, the terrified justice, O le faamasino le ai a, le faamasino se, O le a solasola le faamasino e. Well, after this excursion into tongues that have never been alive--though I assure you we have one capital book in the language, a book of fables by an old missionary of the unpromising name of Pratt, which is simply the best and the most literary version of the fables known to me. I suppose I should except La Fontaine, but L. F. takes a long time; these are brief as the books of our childhood, and full of wit and literary colour; and O, Colvin, what a tongue it would be to write, if one only knew it--and there were only readers. Its curse in common use is an incredible left-handed wordiness; but in the hands of a man like Pratt it is succinct as Latin, compact of long rolling polysyllables and little and often pithy particles, and for beauty of sound a dream. Listen, I quote from Pratt--this is good Samoan, not canine-- 1 2 3 4 1 O le afa, ua taalili ai le ulu vao, ua pa mai le faititili. \__ ___/ \_____ _____/ \____ ___/ \___ ___/ \_____ ____/ V V V V V 1 almost _wa_, 2 the two _a's_ just distinguished, 3 the _ai_ is practically suffixed to the verb, 4 almost _vow_. The excursion has prolonged itself. I started by the _Luebeck_ to meet Lloyd and my mother; there were many reasons for and against; the main reason against was the leaving of Fanny alone in her blessed cabin, which has been somewhat remedied by my carter, Mr. ----, putting up in the stable and messing with her; but perhaps desire of change decided me not well, though I do think I ought to see an oculist, being very blind indeed, and sometimes unable to read. Anyway I left, the only cabin passenger, four and a kid in the second cabin, and a dear voyage it had like to have proved. Close to Fiji (choose a worse place on the map) we broke our shaft early one morning; and when or where we might expect to fetch land or meet with any ship, I would like you to tell me. The Pacific i
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