, an apathy, that he had not even the desire to shake off.

He became the butt of the warriors, who brought him their rifles to mend
and called him a coward for his pains. They envied him Fetuao, who, for
all her flirtations, slept every night by his side and was not happy
when he was out of her sight. They nicknamed him her "Paalangi dog," and
would whistle to him derisively and shout, "Come 'ere!" secure in the
chronic absent-mindedness that had become a joke to them all. When he
answered, as he always answered, "Eh, what?" and raised his vacant,
moody face, there would be an outburst of laughter, in which he himself
joined with a mirthless geniality, like a man unbending to a lot of
children. If a shell went off some one was sure to cry, "Eh, what?" and
this phrase, together with a mimicry of Jack's slow, dejected utterance
of it, became the stock pleasantry of the camp humorists, who brought it
out on all occasions.

The conflicts about Apia were mostly affairs of outposts, a pressing in
and a pressing back of the pickets on either side. The naval commanders,
in spite of repeated bombardments and the enormous havoc they wrought
along the coasts, found themselves hardly able to do more than hold
their own against the Mataafa army. The safety of Apia was constantly in
jeopardy, though barricades were thrown up in the streets and three
hundred men landed from the ships. A desperate night attack on the main
guard at the Tivoli Hotel betrayed the weakness of the whites to friends
and foes alike, and redoubled the anxiety of the admiral and captains.
It was plain that no decisive blow could be struck pending the arrival
of the reenforcements that had been urgently cabled for from New
Zealand, unless a better use were made of the missionary levies on the
spot. These loose native organizations were accordingly broken up,
consolidated into a single compact force of eight hundred men, well
armed and well drilled, and placed under the absolute command of a naval
lieutenant.

This fine force, supported by whites and Maxims, was counted on to
retrieve the situation and drive Mataafa from his mountain stronghold.
The plan for a joint attack was accordingly drawn up. A quota of seamen
and marines, with a couple of machine guns, was to form the center of
the little army, while the native brigade on either wing was to advance
simultaneously, lap round and outflank the Mataafas. This operation,
covered by a terrific bombardment fro