2 3 o THE CORAL LANDS OF THE PACIFIC. 



tastiques, the native company sitting round and beating time 

 with their hands, whilst some of the girls kept up a most 

 melodious tune in capital time. When this performance was 

 over, there were some songs sung in chorus by the young 

 ladies, who seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves. I do not 

 know what they were about, for at that time I did not know a 

 word of the language ; but I fancy they were humorous and 

 broadly personal, for there was much laughter, and I cannot 

 help thinking that we were the subjects of it. Then a pack of 

 cards was produced, and the natives played a very curious game, 

 which Co6 very kindly tried to teach me ; but I fear she found 

 me a very stupid pupil, and my mistakes caused a great deal 

 of fun, and I found I had very soon gambled away all my to- 

 bacco. I was then escorted to my boat by most of the com- 

 pany, and I came to the conclusion that of all the good- 

 tempered, harmless, childlike people I have ever had the good 

 fortune to meet, the Samoans bear the palm. 



A few days later the Catholics were keeping the feast of 

 Easter, and it was certainly very strange to listen (in what the 

 great majority of English people would consider one of the 

 ' cannibal islands) to the soft voices of some hundred of the 

 natives joining in the grand old hymn of paschal time, ' filii 

 etfilice.' 



Though it will be seen by what I have said that the Samoans 

 are in a comparatively very advanced stage of civilisation, it 

 would be rash to counsel Englishmen or others to invest money 

 in land there until the group obtains the protection of the 

 British flag. That a large majority of the natives would en- 

 thusiastically welcome annexation, and that sooner or later it 

 will be forced by British immigration from Fiji on the Im- 

 perial Government, I have not the least doubt. 



