istory. It is true that the
first three had been a good deal drafted two years ago, but they had all
to be written and re-written, and the fourth chapter is all new. Chapter
I. Elements of Discord--Native. II. Elements of Discord--Foreign. III.
The Success of Laupepa. IV. Brandeis. V. Will probably be called "The
Rise of Mataafa." VI. _Furor Consularis_--a devil of a long chapter.
VII. Stuebel the Pacificator. VIII. Government under the Treaty of
Berlin. IX. Practical Suggestions. Say three-sixths of it are done,
maybe more; by this mail five chapters should go, and that should be a
good half of it; say sixty pages. And if you consider that I sent by
last mail the end of _The Wrecker_, coming on for seventy or eighty
pages, and the mail before that the entire tale of the _Beach of Falesa,
_ I do not think I can be accused of idleness. This is my season; I
often work six and seven, and sometimes eight hours; and the same day I
am perhaps weeding or planting for an hour or two more--and I dare say
you know what hard work weeding is--and it all agrees with me at this
time of the year--like--like idleness, if a man of my years could be
idle.

My first visit to Apia was a shock to me; every second person the ghost
of himself, and the place reeking with infection. But I have not got the
thing yet, and hope to escape. This shows how much stronger I am; think
of me flitting through a town of influenza patients seemingly unscathed.
We are all on the cacao planting.

The next day my wife and I rode over to the German plantation, Vailele,
whose manager is almost the only German left to speak to us. Seventy
labourers down with influenza! It is a lovely ride, half-way down our
mountain towards Apia, then turn to the right, ford the river, and three
miles of solitary grass and cocoa palms, to where the sea beats and the
wild wind blows unceasingly about the plantation house. On the way down
Fanny said, "Now what would you do if you saw Colvin coming up?"

Next day we rode down to Apia to make calls.

Yesterday the mail came, and the fat was in the fire.

_Nov. 29th_ (?).--Book.[27] All right. I must say I like your order. And
the papers are some of them up to dick, and no mistake. I agree with you
the lights seem a little turned down. The truth is, I was far through
(if you understand Scots), and came none too soon to the South Seas,
where I was to recover peace of body and mind. No man but myself knew
all my bitterness in those