a footnote to history-第6节

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England　and　the　States；　when　this　man　（the　premier　of　a　friendly　

sovereign）　was　kidnapped　and　deported；　on　the　requisition　of　an　

American　consul；　by　the　captain　of　an　English　war…ship。　　I　shall　

have　to　tell；　as　I　proceed；　of　villages　shelled　on　very　trifling　

grounds　by　Germans；　the　like　has　been　done　of　late　years；　though　in　

a　better　quarrel；　by　ourselves　of　England。　　I　shall　have　to　tell　

how　the　Germans　landed　and　shed　blood　at　Fangalii；　it　was　only　in　

1876　that　we　British　had　our　own　misconceived　little　massacre　at　

Mulinuu。　　I　shall　have　to　tell　how　the　Germans　bludgeoned　Malietoa　

with　a　sudden　call　for　money；　it　was　something　of　the　suddenest　

that　Sir　Arthur　Gordon　himself；　smarting　under　a　sensible　public　

affront；　made　and　enforced　a　somewhat　similar　demand。







CHAPTER　III　…　THE　SORROWS　OF　LAUPEPA；　1883　TO　1887







YOU　ride　in　a　German　plantation　and　see　no　bush；　no　soul　stirring；　

only　acres　of　empty　sward；　miles　of　cocoa…nut　alley：　　a　desert　of　

food。　　In　the　eyes　of　the　Samoan　the　place　has　the　attraction　of　a　

park　for　the　holiday　schoolboy；　of　a　granary　for　mice。　　We　must　add　

the　yet　more　lively　allurement　of　a　haunted　house；　for　over　these　

empty　and　silent　miles　there　broods　the　fear　of　the　negrito　

cannibal。　　For　the　Samoan　besides；　there　is　something　barbaric；　

unhandsome；　and　absurd　in　the　idea　of　thus　growing　food　only　to　

send　it　from　the　land　and　sell　it。　　A　man　at　home　who　should　turn　

all　Yorkshire　into　one　wheatfield；　and　annually　burn　his　harvest　on　

the　altar　of　Mumbo…Jumbo；　might　impress　ourselves　not　much　

otherwise。　　And　the　firm　which　does　these　things　is　quite　

extraneous；　a　wen　that　might　be　excised　to…morrow　without　loss　but　

to　itself；　few　natives　drawing　from　it　so　much　as　day's　wages；　and　

the　rest　beholding　in　it　only　the　occupier　of　their　acres。　　The　

nearest　villages　have　suffered　most；　they　see　over　the　hedge　the　

lands　of　their　ancestors　waving　with　useless　cocoa…palms；　and　the　

sales　were　often　questionable；　and　must　still　more　often　appear　so　

to　regretful　natives；　spinning　and　improving　yarns　about　the　

evening　lamp。　　At　the　worst；　then；　to　help　oneself　from　the　

plantation　will　seem　to　a　Samoan　very　like　orchard…breaking　to　the　

British　schoolboy；　at　the　best；　it　will　be　thought　a　gallant　Robin…

Hoodish　readjustment　of　a　public　wrong。



And　there　is　more　behind。　　Not　only　is　theft　from　the　plantations　

regarded　rather　as　a　lark　and　peccadillo；　the　idea　of　theft　in　

itself　is　not　very　clearly　present　to　these　communists；　and　as　to　

the　punishment　of　crime　in　general；　a　great　gulf　of　opinion　divides　

the　natives　from　ourselves。　　Indigenous　punishments　were　short　and　

sharp。　　Death；　deportation　by　the　primitive　method　of　setting　the　

criminal　to　sea　in　a　canoe；　fines；　and　in　Samoa　itself　the　penalty　

of　publicly　biting　a　hot；　ill…smelling　root；　comparable　to　a　rough　

forfeit　in　a　children's　game　…　these　are　approved。　　The　offender　is　

killed；　or　punished　and　forgiven。　　We；　on　the　other　hand；　harbour　

malice　for　a　period　of　years：　　continuous　shame　attaches　to　the　

criminal；　even　when　he　is　doing　his　best　…　even　when　he　is　

submitting　to　the　worst　form　of　torture；　regular　work　…　he　is　to　

stand　aside　from　life　and　from　his　family　in　dreadful　isolation。　　

These　ideas　most　Polynesians　have　accepted　in　appearance；　as　they　

accept　other　ideas　of　the　whites；　in　practice；　they　reduce　it　to　a　

farce。　　I　have　heard　the　French　resident　in　the　Marquesas　in　talk　

with　the　French　gaoler　of　Tai…o…hae：　〃EH　BIEN；　OU　SONT　VOS　

PRISONNIERES？　…　JE　CROIS；　MON　COMMANDANT；　QU'ELLES　SONT　ALLEES　

QUELQUE　PART　FAIRE　UNE　VISITE。〃　　And　the　ladies　would　be　welcome。　　

This　is　to　take　the　most　savage　of　Polynesians；　take　some　of　the　

most　civilised。　　In　Honolulu；　convicts　labour　on　the　highways　in　

piebald　clothing；　gruesome　and　ridiculous；　and　it　is　a　common　sight　

to　see　the　family　of　such　an　one　troop　out；　about　the　dinner　hour；　

wreathed　with　flowers　and　in　their　holiday　best；　to　picnic　with　

their　kinsman　on　the　public　wayside。　　The　application　of　these　

outlandish　penalties；　in　fact；　transfers　the　sympathy　to　the　

offender。　　Remember；　besides；　that　the　clan　system；　and　that　

imperfect　idea　of　justice　which　is　its　worst　feature；　are　still　

lively　in　Samoa；　that　it　is　held　the　duty　of　a　judge　to　favour　

kinsmen；　of　a　king　to　protect　his　vassals；　and　the　difficulty　of　

getting　a　plantation　thief　first　caught；　then　convicted；　and　last　

of　all　punished；　will　appear。



During　the　early　'eighties；　the　Germans　looked　upon　this　system　

with　growing　irritation。　　They　might　see　their　convict　thrust　in　

gaol　by　the　front　door；　they　could　never　tell　how　soon　he　was　

enfranchised　by　the　back；　and　they　need　not　be　the　least　surprised　

if　they　met　him；　a　few　days　after；　enjoying　the　delights　of　a　

MALANGA。　　It　was　a　banded　conspiracy；　from　the　king　and　the　vice…

king　downward；　to　evade　the　law　and　deprive　the　Germans　of　their　

profits。　　In　1883；　accordingly；　the　consul；　Dr。　Stuebel；　extorted　a　

convention　on　the　subject；　in　terms　of　which　Samoans　convicted　of　

offences　against　German　subjects　were　to　be　confined　in　a　private　

gaol　belonging　to　the　German　firm。　　To　Dr。　Stuebel　it　seemed　simple　

enough：　　the　offenders　were　to　be　effectually　punished；　the　

sufferers　partially　indemnified。　　To　the　Samoans；　the　thing　

appeared　no　less　simple；　but　quite　different：　〃Malietoa　was　selling　

Samoans　to　Misi　Ueba。〃　　What　else　could　be　expected？　　Here　was　a　

private　corporation　engaged　in　making　money；　to　it　was　delegated；　

upon　a　question　of　profit　and　loss；　one　of　the　functions　of　the　

Samoan　crown；　and　those　who　make　anomalies　must　look　for　comments。　　

Public　feeling　ran　unanimous　and　high。　　Prisoners　who　escaped　from　

the　private　gaol　were　not　recaptured　or　not　returned　and　Malietoa　

hastened　to　build　a　new　prison　of　his　own；　whither　he　conveyed；　or　

pretended　to　convey；　the　fugitives。　　In　October　1885　a　trenchant　

state　paper　issued　from　the　German　consulate。　　Twenty　prisoners；　

the　consul　wrote；　had　now　been　at　large　for　eight　months　from　

Weber's　prison。　　It　was　pretended　they　had　since　then　completed　

their　term　of　punishment　elsewhere。　　Dr。　Stuebel　did　not　seek　to　

conceal　his　incredulity；　but　he　took　ground　beyond；　he　declared　the　

point　irrelevant。　　The　law　was　to　be　enforced。　　The　men　were　

condemned　to　a　certain　period　in　Weber's　prison；　they　had　run　away；　

they　must　now　be　brought　back　and　（whatever　had　become　of　them　in　

the　interval）　work　out　the　sentence。　　Doubtless　Dr。　Stuebel's　

demands　were　substantially　just；　but　doubtless　also　they　bore　from　

the　outside　a　great　appearance　of　harshness；　and　when　the　king　

submitted；　the　murmurs　of　the　people　increased。



But　Weber　was　not　yet　content。　　The　law　had　to　be　enforced；　

property；　or　at　least　the　property　of　the　firm；　must　be　respected。　　

And　during　an　absence　of　the　consul's；　he　seems　to　have　drawn　up　

with　his　own　hand；　and　certainly　first　showed　to　the　king；　in　his　

own　house；　a　new　convention。　　Weber　here　and　Weber　there。　　As　an　

able　man；　he　was　perhaps　in　the　right　to　prepare　and　propose　

conventions。　　As　the　head　of　a　trading　company；　he　seems　far　out　of　

his　part　to　be　communicating　state　papers　to　a　sovereign。　　The　

administration　of　justice　was　the　colour；　and　I　am　willing　to　

believe　the　purpose；　of　the　new　paper；　but　its　effect　was　to　depose　

the　existing　government。　　A　council　of　two　Germans　and　two　Samoans　

were　to　be　invested　with　the　right　to　make　laws　and　impose　taxes　as　

might　be　〃desirable　for　the　common　interest　of　the　Samoan　

government　and　the　German　residents。〃　　The　provisions　of　this　

council　the　king　and　vice…king　were　to　sign　blindfold。　　And　by　a　

last　hardship；　the　Germans；　who　received　all　the　benefit；　reserved　

a　right　to　recede　from　the　agreement　on　six　months'　notice；　the　

Samoans；　who　suffered　all　the　loss；　were　bound　by　it　in　perpetuity。　　

I　can　never　believe　that　my　friend　Dr。　Stuebel　had　a　hand　in　

drafting　these　proposals；　I　am　only　surprised　he　should　have　been　a　

party　to　enforcing　them；　perhaps　the　chief　error　in　these　islands　

of　a　man　who　has　made　few。　　And　they　were　enforced　with　a　rigour　

that　seems　injudicious。　　The　Samoans　（according　to　their　own　

account）　were　denied　a　copy　of　the　document；　they　were　certainly　

rated　and　threatened；　their　deliberation　was　treated　as　contumacy；　

two　German　war…ships　lay　in　port；　and　it　was　hinted　that　these　

would　shortly　intervene。



Succeed　in　frightening　a　child；　and　he　takes　refuge　in　duplicity。　　

〃Malietoa；〃　one　of　the　chiefs　had　written；　〃we　know　well　we　are　in　

bondage　to　the　great　governments。〃　　It　was　now　thought　one　tyrant　

might　be　better　than　three；　and　any　one　preferable　to　Germany。　　On　

the　5th　November　1885；　accordingly；　Laupepa；　Tamasese；　and　forty…

eight　high　chiefs　met　in　secret；　and　the　supremacy　of　Samoa　was　

secretly　offered　to　Great　Britain　for　the　se