1902] Back to California 



friends of Admirals Sampson and Schley were then Sampson- 

 engaged in an unseemly wrangle as to which of the ^"''^^y 

 two was entitled to credit for the naval victory at '"^''""^"^ 

 Santiago de Cuba. The affair annoyed Roosevelt 

 exceedingly. I happened to be at the White House 

 for luncheon the day he decided to settle the matter 

 once for all. To that end he stated officially that as 

 neither Sampson, in general command, nor Schley, 

 in immediate authority, was present during the fight, 

 honor should go to the captains of the ships actually 

 engaged, the entire responsibility having been theirs, 

 each one directing his own part in the action. This 

 decision, perforce accepted, gave the President much 

 satisfaction. 



Vacation over, we left for home on the steamer y^iast 

 Ventura. Rounding the outermost point of Tutuila, "''"' 

 we saw across to the west — elevated by mirage — 

 the entire profile of Upolu thrown in sharp silhouette 

 against the broad, red face of the setting sun. Though 

 sixty miles away and normally out of sight, the fine 

 outline of its peaks was vividly shown, Vaea, the 

 westernmost, being our last vision of that land of 

 dreams. 



On the Ventura, just up from Auckland, was a 

 wealthy New Zealand merchant. After listening to 

 tourist chatter, he turned to me as a serious person- 

 age and asked: "Who is this man Stevenson I hear 

 them talking about ? Was he one of the early settlers 

 on this island?" 



4 



The board of trustees of Stanford University, as 

 originally named, contained twenty-four members 



C 127 3 



