a footnote to history-第24章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！



diving　with　a　rope；　they　got　the　gun　aboard；　and　the　night　being　

then　come；　returned　by　the　same　route　in　the　shallow　water　along　

shore；　singing　a　boat…song。　　It　will　be　seen　with　what　childlike　

reliance　they　had　accepted　the　neutrality　of　Apia　bay；　they　came　

for　the　gun　without　concealment；　laboriously　dived　for　it　in　broad　

day　under　the　eyes　of　the　town　and　shipping；　and　returned　with　it；　

singing　as　they　went。　　On　Grevsmuhl's　wharf；　a　light　showed　them　a　

crowd　of　German　blue…jackets　clustered；　and　a　hail　was　heard。　　

〃Stop　the　singing　so　that　we　may　hear　what　is　said；〃　said　one　of　

the　chiefs　in　the　TAUMUALUA。　　The　song　ceased；　the　hail　was　heard　

again；　〃AU　MAI　LE　FANA　…　bring　the　gun〃；　and　the　natives　report　

themselves　to　have　replied　in　the　affirmative；　and　declare　that　

they　had　begun　to　back　the　boat。　　It　is　perhaps　not　needful　to　

believe　them。　　A　volley　at　least　was　fired　from　the　wharf；　at　about　

fifty　yards'　range　and　with　a　very　ill　direction；　one　bullet　

whistling　over　Pelly's　head　on　board　the　LIZARD。　　The　natives　

jumped　overboard；　and　swimming　under　the　lee　of　the　TAUMUALUA　

（where　they　escaped　a　second　volley）　dragged　her　towards　the　east。　　

As　soon　as　they　were　out　of　range　and　past　the　Mulivai；　the　German　

border；　they　got　on　board　and　（again　singing　…　though　perhaps　a　

different　song）　continued　their　return　along　the　English　and　

American　shore。　　Off　Matautu　they　were　hailed　from　the　seaward　by　

one　of　the　ADLER'S　boats；　which　had　been　suddenly　despatched　on　the　

sound　of　the　firing　or　had　stood　ready　all　evening　to　secure　the　

gun。　　The　hail　was　in　German；　the　Samoans　knew　not　what　it　meant；　

but　took　the　precaution　to　jump　overboard　and　swim　for　land。　　Two　

volleys　and　some　dropping　shot　were　poured　upon　them　in　the　water；　

but　they　dived；　scattered；　and　came　to　land　unhurt　in　different　

quarters　of　Matautu。　　The　volleys；　fired　inshore；　raked　the　

highway；　a　British　house　was　again　pierced　by　numerous　bullets；　and　

these　sudden　sounds　of　war　scattered　consternation　through　the　

town。



Two　British　subjects；　Hetherington…Carruthers；　a　solicitor；　and　

Maben；　a　land…surveyor　…　the　first　being　in　particular　a　man　well　

versed　in　the　native　mind　and　language　…　hastened　at　once　to　their　

consul；　assured　him　the　Mataafas　would　be　roused　to　fury　by　this　

onslaught　in　the　neutral　zone；　that　the　German　quarter　would　be　

certainly　attacked；　and　the　rest　of　the　town　and　white　inhabitants　

exposed　to　a　peril　very　difficult　of　estimation；　and　prevailed　upon　

him　to　intrust　them　with　a　mission　to　the　king。　　By　the　time　they　

reached　headquarters；　the　warriors　were　already　taking　post　round　

Matafele；　and　the　agitation　of　Mataafa　himself　was　betrayed　in　the　

fact　that　he　spoke　with　the　deputation　standing　and　gun　in　hand：　　a　

breach　of　high…chief　dignity　perhaps　unparalleled。　　The　usual　

result；　however；　followed：　　the　whites　persuaded　the　Samoan；　and　

the　attack　was　countermanded；　to　the　benefit　of　all　concerned；　and　

not　least　of　Mataafa。　　To　the　benefit　of　all；　I　say；　for　I　do　not　

think　the　Germans　were　that　evening　in　a　posture　to　resist；　the　

liquor…cellars　of　the　firm　must　have　fallen　into　the　power　of　the　

insurgents；　and　I　will　repeat　my　formula　that　a　mob　is　a　mob；　a　

drunken　mob　is　a　drunken　mob；　and　a　drunken　mob　with　weapons　in　its　

hands　is　a　drunken　mob　with　weapons　in　its　hands；　all　the　world　

over。



In　the　opinion　of　some；　then；　the　town　had　narrowly　escaped　

destruction；　or　at　least　the　miseries　of　a　drunken　sack。　　To　the　

knowledge　of　all；　the　air　of　the　neutral　territory　had　once　more　

whistled　with　bullets。　　And　it　was　clear　the　incident　must　have　

diplomatic　consequences。　　Leary　and　Pelly　both　protested　to　Fritze。　　

Leary　announced　he　should　report　the　affair　to　his　government　〃as　a　

gross　violation　of　the　principles　of　international　law；　and　as　a　

breach　of　the　neutrality。〃　　〃I　positively　decline　the　protest；〃　

replied　Fritze；　〃and　cannot　fail　to　express　my　astonishment　at　the　

tone　of　your　last　letter。〃　　This　was　trenchant。　　It　may　be　said；　

however；　that　Leary　was　already　out　of　court；　that；　after　the　night　

signals　and　the　Scanlon　incident；　and　so　many　other　acts　of　

practical　if　humorous　hostility；　his　position　as　a　neutral　was　no　

better　than　a　doubtful　jest。　　The　case　with　Pelly　was　entirely　

different；　and　with　Pelly；　Fritze　was　less　well　inspired。　　In　his　

first　note；　he　was　on　the　old　guard；　announced　that　he　had　acted　on　

the　requisition　of　his　consul；　who　was　alone　responsible　on　〃the　

legal　side〃；　and　declined　accordingly　to　discuss　〃whether　the　lives　

of　British　subjects　were　in　danger；　and　to　what　extent　armed　

intervention　was　necessary。〃　　Pelly　replied　judiciously　that　he　had　

nothing　to　do　with　political　matters；　being　only　responsible　for　

the　safety　of　Her　Majesty's　ships　under　his　command　and　for　the　

lives　and　property　of　British　subjects；　that　he　had　considered　his　

protest　a　purely　naval　one；　and　as　the　matter　stood　could　only　

report　the　case　to　the　admiral　on　the　station。　　〃I　have　the　

honour；〃　replied　Fritze；　〃to　refuse　to　entertain　the　protest　

concerning　the　safety　of　Her　Britannic　Majesty's　ship　LIZARD　as　

being　a　naval　matter。　　The　safety　of　Her　Majesty's　ship　LIZARD　was　

never　in　the　least　endangered。　　This　was　guaranteed　by　the　

disciplined　fire　of　a　few　shots　under　the　direction　of　two　

officers。〃　　This　offensive　note；　in　view　of　Fritze's　careful　and　

honest　bearing　among　so　many　other　complications；　may　be　attributed　

to　some　misunderstanding。　　His　small　knowledge　of　English　perhaps　

failed　him。　　But　I　cannot　pass　it　by　without　remarking　how　far　too　

much　it　is　the　custom　of　German　officials　to　fall　into　this　style。　　

It　may　be　witty；　I　am　sure　it　is　not　wise。　　It　may　be　sometimes　

necessary　to　offend　for　a　definite　object；　it　can　never　be　

diplomatic　to　offend　gratuitously。



Becker　was　more　explicit；　although　scarce　less　curt。　　And　his　

defence　may　be　divided　into　two　statements：　　first；　that　the　

TAUMUALUA　was　proceeding　to　land　with　a　hostile　purpose　on　Mulinuu；　

second；　that　the　shots　complained　of　were　fired　by　the　Samoans。　　

The　second　may　be　dismissed　with　a　laugh。　　Human　nature　has　laws。　　

And　no　men　hitherto　discovered；　on　being　suddenly　challenged　from　

the　sea；　would　have　turned　their　backs　upon　the　challenger　and　

poured　volleys　on　the　friendly　shore。　　The　first　is　not　extremely　

credible；　but　merits　examination。　　The　story　of　the　recovered　gun　

seems　straightforward；　it　is　supported　by　much　testimony；　the　

diving　operations　on　the　reef　seem　to　have　been　watched　from　shore　

with　curiosity；　it　is　hard　to　suppose　that　it　does　not　roughly　

represent　the　fact。　　And　yet　if　any　part　of　it　be　true；　the　whole　

of　Becker's　explanation　falls　to　the　ground。　　A　boat　which　had　

skirted　the　whole　eastern　coast　of　Mulinuu；　and　was　already　

opposite　a　wharf　in　Matafele；　and　still　going　west；　might　have　been　

guilty　on　a　thousand　points　…　there　was　one　on　which　she　was　

necessarily　innocent；　she　was　necessarily　innocent　of　proceeding　on　

Mulinuu。　　Or　suppose　the　diving　operations；　and　the　native　

testimony；　and　Pelly's　chart　of　the　boat's　course；　and　the　boat　

itself；　to　be　all　stages　of　some　epidemic　hallucination　or　steps　in　

a　conspiracy　…　suppose　even　a　second　TAUMUALUA　to　have　entered　Apia　

bay　after　nightfall；　and　to　have　been　fired　upon　from　Grevsmuhl's　

wharf　in　the　full　career　of　hostilities　against　Mulinuu　…　suppose　

all　this；　and　Becker　is　not　helped。　　At　the　time　of　the　first　fire；　

the　boat　was　off　Grevsmuhl's　wharf。　　At　the　time　of　the　second　（and　

that　is　the　one　complained　of）　she　was　off　Carruthers's　wharf　in　

Matautu。　　Was　she　still　proceeding　on　Mulinuu？　　I　trow　not。　　The　

danger　to　German　property　was　no　longer　imminent；　the　shots　had　

been　fired　upon　a　very　trifling　provocation；　the　spirit　implied　was　

that　of　designed　disregard　to　the　neutrality。　　Such　was　the　

impression　here　on