a footnote to history-第6章

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politeness　or　the　most　imperious　airs　of　domination。　　It　was　he　who　

did　most　damage　to　rival　traders；　it　was　he　who　most　harried　the　

Samoans；　and　yet　I　never　met　any　one；　white　or　native；　who　did　not　

respect　his　memory。　　All　felt　it　was　a　gallant　battle；　and　the　man　

a　great　fighter；　and　now　when　he　is　dead；　and　the　war　seems　to　have　

gone　against　him；　many　can　scarce　remember；　without　a　kind　of　

regret；　how　much　devotion　and　audacity　have　been　spent　in　vain。　　

His　name　still　lives　in　the　songs　of　Samoa。　　One；　that　I　have　

heard；　tells　of　MISI　UEBA　and　a　biscuit…box　…　the　suggesting　

incident　being　long　since　forgotten。　　Another　sings　plaintively　how　

all　things；　land　and　food　and　property；　pass　progressively；　as　by　a　

law　of　nature；　into　the　hands　of　MISI　UEBA；　and　soon　nothing　will　

be　left　for　Samoans。　　This　is　an　epitaph　the　man　would　have　

enjoyed。



At　one　period　of　his　career；　Weber　combined　the　offices　of　director　

of　the　firm　and　consul　for　the　City　of　Hamburg。　　No　question　but　he　

then　drove　very　hard。　　Germans　admit　that　the　combination　was　

unfortunate；　and　it　was　a　German　who　procured　its　overthrow。　　

Captain　Zembsch　superseded　him　with　an　imperial　appointment；　one　

still　remembered　in　Samoa　as　〃the　gentleman　who　acted　justly。〃　　

There　was　no　house　to　be　found；　and　the　new　consul　must　take　up　his　

quarters　at　first　under　the　same　roof　with　Weber。　　On　several　

questions；　in　which　the　firm　was　vitally　interested；　Zembsch　

embraced　the　contrary　opinion。　　Riding　one　day　with　an　Englishman　

in　Vailele　plantation；　he　was　startled　by　a　burst　of　screaming；　

leaped　from　the　saddle；　ran　round　a　house；　and　found　an　overseer　

beating　one　of　the　thralls。　　He　punished　the　overseer；　and；　being　a　

kindly　and　perhaps　not　a　very　diplomatic　man；　talked　high　of　what　

he　felt　and　what　he　might　consider　it　his　duty　to　forbid　or　to　

enforce。　　The　firm　began　to　look　askance　at　such　a　consul；　and　

worse　was　behind。　　A　number　of　deeds　being　brought　to　the　consulate　

for　registration；　Zembsch　detected　certain　transfers　of　land　in　

which　the　date；　the　boundaries；　the　measure；　and　the　consideration　

were　all　blank。　　He　refused　them　with　an　indignation　which　he　does　

not　seem　to　have　been　able　to　keep　to　himself；　and；　whether　or　not　

by　his　fault；　some　of　these　unfortunate　documents　became　public。　　

It　was　plain　that　the　relations　between　the　two　flanks　of　the　

German　invasion；　the　diplomatic　and　the　commercial；　were　strained　

to　bursting。　　But　Weber　was　a　man　ill　to　conquer。　　Zembsch　was　

recalled；　and　from　that　time　forth；　whether　through　influence　at　

home；　or　by　the　solicitations　of　Weber　on　the　spot；　the　German　

consulate　has　shown　itself　very　apt　to　play　the　game　of　the　German　

firm。　　That　game；　we　may　say；　was　twofold；　…　the　first　part　even　

praiseworthy；　the　second　at　least　natural。　　On　the　one　part；　they　

desired　an　efficient　native　administration；　to　open　up　the　country　

and　punish　crime；　they　wished；　on　the　other；　to　extend　their　own　

provinces　and　to　curtail　the　dealings　of　their　rivals。　　In　the　

first；　they　had　the　jealous　and　diffident　sympathy　of　all　whites；　

in　the　second；　they　had　all　whites　banded　together　against　them　for　

their　lives　and　livelihoods。　　It　was　thus　a　game　of　BEGGAR　MY　

NEIGHBOUR　between　a　large　merchant　and　some　small　ones。　　Had　it　so　

remained；　it　would　still　have　been　a　cut…throat　quarrel。　　But　when　

the　consulate　appeared　to　be　concerned；　when　the　war…ships　of　the　

German　Empire　were　thought　to　fetch　and　carry　for　the　firm；　the　

rage　of　the　independent　traders　broke　beyond　restraint。　　And；　

largely　from　the　national　touchiness　and　the　intemperate　speech　of　

German　clerks；　this　scramble　among　dollar…hunters　assumed　the　

appearance　of　an　inter…racial　war。



The　firm；　with　the　indomitable　Weber　at　its　head　and　the　consulate　

at　its　back　…　there　has　been　the　chief　enemy　at　Samoa。　　No　English　

reader　can　fail　to　be　reminded　of　John　Company；　and　if　the　Germans　

appear　to　have　been　not　so　successful；　we　can　only　wonder　that　our　

own　blunders　and　brutalities　were　less　severely　punished。　　Even　on　

the　field　of　Samoa；　though　German　faults　and　aggressors　make　up　the　

burthen　of　my　story；　they　have　been　nowise　alone。　　Three　nations　

were　engaged　in　this　infinitesimal　affray；　and　not　one　appears　with　

credit。　　They　figure　but　as　the　three　ruffians　of　the　elder　play…

wrights。　　The　United　States　have　the　cleanest　hands；　and　even　

theirs　are　not　immaculate。　　It　was　an　ambiguous　business　when　a　

private　American　adventurer　was　landed　with　his　pieces　of　artillery　

from　an　American　war…ship；　and　became　prime　minister　to　the　king。　　

It　is　true　（even　if　he　were　ever　really　supported）　that　he　was　soon　

dropped　and　had　soon　sold　himself　for　money　to　the　German　firm。　　I　

will　leave　it　to　the　reader　whether　this　trait　dignifies　or　not　the　

wretched　story。　　And　the　end　of　it　spattered　the　credit　alike　of　

England　and　the　States；　when　this　man　（the　premier　of　a　friendly　

sovereign）　was　kidnapped　and　deported；　on　the　requisition　of　an　

American　consul；　by　the　captain　of　an　English　war…ship。　　I　shall　

have　to　tell；　as　I　proceed；　of　villages　shelled　on　very　trifling　

grounds　by　Germans；　the　like　has　been　done　of　late　years；　though　in　

a　better　quarrel；　by　ourselves　of　England。　　I　shall　have　to　tell　

how　the　Germans　landed　and　shed　blood　at　Fangalii；　it　was　only　in　

1876　that　we　British　had　our　own　misconceived　little　massacre　at　

Mulinuu。　　I　shall　have　to　tell　how　the　Germans　bludgeoned　Malietoa　

with　a　sudden　call　for　money；　it　was　something　of　the　suddenest　

that　Sir　Arthur　Gordon　himself；　smarting　under　a　sensible　public　

affront；　made　and　enforced　a　somewhat　similar　demand。







CHAPTER　III　…　THE　SORROWS　OF　LAUPEPA；　1883　TO　1887







YOU　ride　in　a　German　plantation　and　see　no　bush；　no　soul　stirring；　

only　acres　of　empty　sward；　miles　of　cocoa…nut　alley：　　a　desert　of　

food。　　In　the　eyes　of　the　Samoan　the　place　has　the　attraction　of　a　

park　for　the　holiday　schoolboy；　of　a　granary　for　mice。　　We　must　add　

the　yet　more　lively　allurement　of　a　haunted　house；　for　over　these　

empty　and　silent　miles　there　broods　the　fear　of　the　negrito　

cannibal。　　For　the　Samoan　besides；　there　is　something　barbaric；　

unhandsome；　and　absurd　in　the　idea　of　thus　growing　food　only　to　

send　it　from　the　land　and　sell　it。　　A　man　at　home　who　should　turn　

all　Yorkshire　into　one　wheatfield；　and　annually　burn　his　harvest　on　

the　altar　of　Mumbo…Jumbo；　might　impress　ourselves　not　much　

otherwise。　　And　the　firm　which　does　these　things　is　quite　

extraneous；　a　wen　that　might　be　excised　to…morrow　without　loss　but　

to　itself；　few　natives　drawing　from　it　so　much　as　day's　wages；　and　

the　rest　beholding　in　it　only　the　occupier　of　their　acres。　　The　

nearest　villages　have　suffered　most；　they　see　over　the　hedge　the　

lands　of　their　ancestors　waving　with　useless　cocoa…palms；　and　the　

sales　were　often　questionable；　and　must　still　more　often　appear　so　

to　regretful　natives；　spinning　and　improving　yarns　about　the　

evening　lamp。　　At　the　worst；　then；　to　help　oneself　from　the　

plantation　will　seem　to　a　Samoan　very　like　orchard…breaking　to　the　

British　schoolboy；　at　the　best；　it　will　be　thought　a　gallant　Robin…

Hoodish　readjustment　of　a　public　wrong。



And　there　is　more　behind。　　Not　only　is　theft　from　the　plantations　

regarded　rather　as　a　lark　and　peccadillo；　the　idea　of　theft　in　

itself　is　not　very　clearly　present　to　these　communists；　and　as　to　

the　punishment　of　crime　in　general；　a　great　gulf　of　opinion　divides　

the　natives　from　ourselves。　　Indigenous　punishments　were　short　and　

sharp。　　Death；　deportation　by　the　primitive　method　of　setting　the　

criminal　to　sea　in　a　canoe；　fines；　and　in　Samoa　itself　the　penalty　

of　publicly　biting　a　hot；　ill…smelling　root；　comparable　to　a　rough　

forfeit　in　a　children's　game　…　these　are　approved。　　The　offender　is　

killed；　or　punished　and　forgiven。　　We；　on　the　other　hand；　harbour　

malic