o do than to
transvase the work of others.--Yours very truly,

ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON,

With the worst pen in the South Pacific.

TO CHARLES BAXTER

Stevenson had been indignant with an old friend at Edinburgh, who had
received much kindness from his mother, for neglecting to call on her
after her return from her wanderings in the Pacific.

_S.S. Luebeck, at sea [on the return voyage from Sydney, February
1891]._

MY DEAR CHARLES,--Perhaps in my old days I do grow irascible; "the old
man virulent" has long been my pet name for myself. Well, the temper is
at least all gone now; time is good at lowering these distemperatures;
far better is a sharp sickness, and I am just (and scarce) afoot again
after a smoking hot little malady at Sydney. And the temper being gone,
I still think the same.... We have not our parents for ever; we are
never very good to them; when they go and we have lost our front-file
man we begin to feel all our neglects mighty sensibly. I propose a
proposal. My mother is here on board with me; to-day for once I mean to
make her as happy as I am able, and to do that which I know she likes.
You, on the other hand, go and see your father, and do ditto, and give
him a real good hour or two. We shall both be glad hereafter.--Yours
ever,

R. L. S.

TO SIDNEY COLVIN

Stevenson had been sharply ailing as usual at Sydney, and was now on
his way back. Having received proofs of some of his _South Sea_
chapters, he had begun to realise that they were not what he had
hoped to make them.

[_On Board Ship between Sydney and Apia, February 1891._]

MY DEAR COLVIN,--The _Janet Nicoll_ stuff was rather worse than I had
looked for; you have picked out all that is fit to stand, bar two others
(which I don't dislike)--the Port of Entry and the House of Temoana;
that is for a present opinion; I may condemn these also ere I have done.
By this time you should have another Marquesan letter, the worst of the
lot, I think; and seven Paumotu letters, which are not far out of the
vein, as I wish it; I am in hopes the Hawaiian stuff is better yet: time
will show, and time will make perfect. Is something of this sort
practicable for the dedication?

TERRA MARIQUE
PER PERICULA PER ARDUA
AMICAE COMITI
D.D.
AMANS VIATOR

'Tis a first shot concocted this morning in my berth: I had always
before been trying it in English,