Tamaseses with a loss of four heads; but so far from improving the
advantage, yielded immediately to the weakness of the Samoan warrior,
and ranged farther east through unarmed populations, bursting with
shouts and blackened faces into villages terrified or admiring, making
spoil of pigs, burning houses, and destroying gardens. The Tamasese had
at first evacuated several beach towns in succession, and were still in
retreat on Lotoanuu; finding themselves unpursued, they reoccupied them
one after another, and re-established their lines to the very borders of
Saluafata. Night fell; Mataafa had taken Saluafata, Tamasese had lost
it; and that was all. But the day came near to have a different and very
singular issue. The village was not long in the hands of the Mataafas,
when a schooner, flying German colours, put into the bay and was
immediately surrounded by their boats. It chanced that Brandeis was on
board. Word of it had gone abroad, and the boats as they approached
demanded him with threats. The late premier, alone, entirely unarmed,
and a prey to natural and painful feelings, concealed himself below. The
captain of the schooner remained on deck, pointed to the German colours,
and defied approaching boats. Again the prestige of a great Power
triumphed; the Samoans fell back before the bunting; the schooner worked
out of the bay; Brandeis escaped. He himself apprehended the worst if he
fell into Samoan hands; it is my diffident impression that his life
would have been safe.

On the 22nd, a new German war-ship, the _Eber_, of tragic memory, came
to Apia from the Gilberts, where she had been disarming turbulent
islands. The rest of that day and all night she loaded stores from the
firm, and on the morrow reached Saluafata bay. Thanks to the misconduct
of the Mataafas, the most of the foreshore was still in the hands of the
Tamaseses; and they were thus able to receive from the _Eber_ both the
stores and weapons. The weapons had been sold long since to Tarawa,
Apaiang, and Pleasant Island; places unheard of by the general reader,
where obscure inhabitants paid for these instruments of death in money
or in labour, misused them as it was known they would be misused, and
had been disarmed by force. The _Eber_ had brought back the guns to a
German counter, whence many must have been originally sold; and was here
engaged, like a shopboy, in their distribution to fresh purchasers. Such
is the vicious circle of the traffic in wea