white people it's not quite the same," she went on, "though I
must say I agree with Mr Davidson, who says he can't understand how a
husband can stand by and see his wife in another man's arms, and as far
as I'm concerned I've never danced a step since I married. But the
native dancing is quite another matter. It's not only immoral in itself,
but it distinctly leads to immorality. However, I'm thankful to God that
we stamped it out, and I don't think I'm wrong in saying that no one has
danced in our district for eight years."

But now they came to the mouth of the harbour and Mrs Macphail joined
them. The ship turned sharply and steamed slowly in. It was a great
land-locked harbour big enough to hold a fleet of battleships; and all
around it rose, high and steep, the green hills. Near the entrance,
getting such breeze as blew from the sea, stood the governor's house in
a garden. The Stars and Stripes dangled languidly from a flagstaff. They
passed two or three trim bungalows, and a tennis court, and then they
came to the quay with its warehouses. Mrs Davidson pointed out the
schooner, moored two or three hundred yards from the side, which was to
take them to Apia. There was a crowd of eager, noisy, and good-humoured
natives come from all parts of the island, some from curiosity, others
to barter with the travellers on their way to Sydney; and they brought
pineapples and huge bunches of bananas, _tapa_ cloths, necklaces of
shells or sharks' teeth, _kava_-bowls, and models of war canoes.
American sailors, neat and trim, clean-shaven and frank of face,
sauntered among them, and there was a little group of officials. While
their luggage was being landed the Macphails and Mrs Davidson watched
the crowd. Dr Macphail looked at the yaws from which most of the
children and the young boys seemed to suffer, disfiguring sores like
torpid ulcers, and his professional eyes glistened when he saw for the
first time in his experience cases of elephantiasis, men going about
with a huge, heavy arm or dragging along a grossly disfigured leg. Men
and women wore the _lava-lava_.

"It's a very indecent costume," said Mrs Davidson. "Mr Davidson thinks
it should be prohibited by law. How can you expect people to be moral
when they wear nothing but a strip of red cotton round their loins?"

"It's suitable enough to the climate," said the doctor, wiping the sweat
off his head.

Now that they were on land the heat, though it was so early in the