Old Samoan Days. 
179 
the rattle of a thousand English guns.” But 
they never come—only the men-of-war, whose 
captains say to our chiefs, ‘ Not this time ; but 
by and by we shall help thee.” And then at 
night time they make their ships bright with 
many lights, and the tamaitai papalagi (white 
ladies) from Apia and Matafele put on beautiful 
dresses, and they all dance and sing and laugh, 
and think no more of us Samoans ; and in the 
morning, or in a day, or two days, the ships go 
away, and we Samoans are like fools, and hang 
our heads. Then the Consuls say, ‘ Hush ! be 
wise and wait ’; but the Consuls are liars ; one 
gives us fair words and sweet smiles and says, 
‘ Vitolia (Victoria) is great, she loves you 
Samoans, and will help you; but you must 
not want to fight the great German nation. 
You must come to us, and we shall send a 
letter to the great chiefs in Peretania (Eng¬ 
land) and America, and —by and by help will 
y yy 
come. 
It is impossible to describe the sneering, bitter 
emphasis the old woman gave to her last half- 
a-dozen words, imitating, as she did to perfec¬ 
tion, the voice of the then British Consul. That 
gentleman is long since dead ; and whilst his 
