ental museums. (This was true enough.) Rogers furthermore
told us that the doctor "cured" his heads in a smoke-box, and had "a
regular chemist's shop" in which were a number of large bottles of
pyroligneous acid, prepared by a London firm.

This distinguished savant left Gerrit Denys Island about a year later in
a schooner bound for Singapore. She was found floating bottom up off
the Admiralty Group, and a Hong-Kong newspaper, in recording the event,
mentioned that "the unfortunate gentleman (Dr. Ludwig S------) had with
him an interesting and extremely valuable ethnographical collection ".

Rogers's horrible story had a great interest for me; for it had been my
lot to see many human heads just severed from the body, and I was
always fascinated by the peculiar expression of the features of those
unfortunates who had been decapitated suddenly by one swift blow.
"Death," "Peace," "Immortality," say the closed eyelids and the calm,
quiet lips to the beholder.

I little imagined that within two years I should have a rather similar
experience to that of Rogers, though in my case it was a very brief one.
Yet it was all too long for me, and I shall always remember it as the
weirdest experience of my life.

I have elsewhere in this volume spoken of the affectionate regard I
have always had for the Samoan people, with whom I passed some of the
happiest years of my life. I have lived among them in peace and in war,
have witnessed many chivalrous and heroic deeds, and yet have seen
acts of the most terrible cruelty to the living, the mutilation and
dishonouring of the dead killed in combat, and other deeds that
filled me with horror and repulsion. And yet the perpetrators were all
professing Christians--either Protestant or Roman Catholic--and would no
more think of omitting daily morning and evening prayer, and attending
service in church or chapel every Sunday, than they would their daily
bathe in sea or river.

Always shall I remember one incident that occurred during the civil war
between King Malietoa and his rebel subjects at the town of Saluafata.
The _olo_ or trenches, of the king's troops had been carried by the
rebels, among whom was a young warrior who had often distinguished
himself by his reckless bravery. At the time of the assault I was in the
rebel lines, for I was on very friendly terms with both sides, and each
knew that I would not betray the secrets of the other, and that my only
object was to render aid t