y upheaval came about a month after our head nurse,
Hakala, had been fined five dollars for using English Seafaring'
language to another woman who had called her a pig. As Hakala could not
pay the fine--being already in debt to me for two months' wages paid in
advance--I settled it; for she was a widow, and had endeared herself
to me by the vigorous manner in which she had pitched a large, fat girl
named 'Heke out of the house for stealing some sugar from my store-room.
The members of the _kaupule_ (the village parliament) were pleased to
accept the money, but wrote me a formal letter on the following morning,
and remarked that it was wrong of me to encourage brutal conduct in any
of my servants--wrong and un-Christian-like as well. 'But,' the letter
went on to say, 'it is honest of you to pay this woman's fine; and
Talamaheke' (the sugar-thief) 'has been sentenced to do three days'
road-making for stealing the sugar. Yet you must not think evil of
Talamaheke, for she is a little _vale_ (mad), and has a class in the
Sunday-school. Now it is in our minds that, as you are an honest man,
you will pay the fines owing on the horse.' I had a vague recollection
of my predecessor telling me something indefinite about a horse
belonging to the station, but could not remember whether he said that
the animal was in the vicinity of the station or was rambling elsewhere
on the island, or had died. So I called my Samoan cook, Harry, to learn
what he knew about the matter. Harry was the Adonis of the village, and
already the under-nurse, E'eu, a sweet little hazel-eyed creature of
fifteen, and incorrigibly wicked, had succumbed to his charms, and spent
much of her time in the kitchen. At that moment Harry was seated outside
the cook-house, dressed in a suit of spotless white duck, playing an
accordeon; also he wore round his brown neck a thick wreath of white
and scarlet flowers. Harry, I may remark, was a dandy and a notorious
profligate, but against these natural faults was the fact that he could
make very good bread.

'Harry,' I said, 'do you know anything about this horse?' and I tapped
the official letter.

He smiled. 'Oh, yes, sir. I know all 'bout him. He been fined altogether
'bout two hundred and fifty dollar, an' never pay.'

'What do you mean? How can anyone fine a horse?'

Then Harry explained and gave me the horse's history.

The animal had been brought from New Zealand for some occult reason, and
had behaved himself