on the morning of the 10th, the admiral despatched Captain Kane of the
_Calliope_ to Mulinuu. Brandeis met the messenger with voluble excuses
and engagements for the future. He was told his explanations were
satisfactory so far as they went, but that the admiral's message was to
Tamasese, the _de facto_ king. Brandeis, not very well assured of his
puppet's courage, attempted in vain to excuse him from appearing. No _de
facto_ king, no message, he was told: produce your _de facto_ king. And
Tamasese had at last to be produced. To him Kane delivered his errand:
that the _Lizard_ was to remain for the protection of British subjects;
that a signalman was to be stationed at the consulate; that, on any
further firing from boats, the signalman was to notify the _Lizard_ and
she to fire one gun, on which all boats must lower sail and come
alongside for examination and the detection of the guilty; and that, "in
the event of the boats not obeying the gun, the admiral would not be
responsible for the consequences." It was listened to by Brandeis and
Tamasese "with the greatest attention." Brandeis, when it was done,
desired his thanks to the admiral for the moderate terms of his message,
and, as Kane went to his boat, repeated the expression of his gratitude
as though he meant it, declaring his own hands would be thus strengthened
for the maintenance of discipline. But I have yet to learn of any
gratitude on the part of Tamasese. Consider the case of the poor owlish
man hearing for the first time our diplomatic commonplaces. The admiral
would not be answerable for the consequences. Think of it! A devil of a
position for a _de facto_ king. And here, the same afternoon, was Leary
in the Scanlon house, mopping it out for unknown designs by the hands of
an old woman, and proffering strange threats of bloodshed. Scanlon and
his pigs, the admiral and his gun, Leary and his bombardment,--what a
kettle of fish!

I dwell on the effect on Tamasese. Whatever the faults of Becker, he was