-beautiful fish, such as are in all the mountain streams of Samoa.
Then he came out of the water, made a basket of leaves, and approached
me, and without a word, laid them at my feet. This pleased me, so I put
out my hand and touched one of the fish--meaning that one only would I
take.

"They are all for thee, lady," he said in a low voice.

Selema laughed and urged me to accept the gift; so I took the basket,
and then, when I looked at his face and saw that his eyes were still
turned down, I took courage and said--

"Thou art Manaia. Dost thou remember me?"

"How could I forget thee?" he replied; and then he raised his eyes to
my face, and I felt glad, for they were like unto those of my uncle
Patiole--kind and soft when they looked into those of a woman or child,
but steady and bold to those of a man.

"I am glad to see thee, Manaia," I said, "for I owe thee my life," and
as he took my hand and pressed it to his forehead, Selema stole away and
left us together.

Now I know not what he said to me, except that when he spoke the name of
Tamavili of Tufa, I wept, and said that I would I were back at Manono,
and that I was but a child, and had no desire to be wedded to any man.
Then he lifted me up in his great arms, and said--

"I love thee, Sa Luia, I love thee! And even if thou canst not love me,
yet shall I save thee from wedding this old dotard. Aye, I shall save
thee from him as I saved thee from the boiling serf of Falema'a when thy
mother, who was a great lady, cried out to me, 'Take my babe.'"

So that is how Manaia my husband wooed me, and when Selema came back and
saw us seated together, she laughed again, though tears were in her eyes
when she took my feet and pressed them to her cheeks, for she feared
that when we fled, she would be left behind. Then Manaia whispered to me
and asked me if it was to my mind to take her.

"Ay," I said; "else will my father kill her when we are gone."

So we made our plans, and when the messengers of Tamavili came and laid
their presents before me, I said I was content, and that they could go
back to their master, and tell him that in a month's time I would
be ready and that he could come for me. This pleased my father, and
although at night time I always slept between the two women, as is
customary for a _taupo_, with a mat over me, and they lay on the
outside, one on each side, yet in the day time I often met my lover in
the forest, whilst Selema kept watch.

"We s