Mataafahasbeenproclaimedarebel；thePresidentdidthisact，andthenresigned。Bysingulargoodfortune，Mataafahasnotyetmoved；nothankstoouridiotgovernors。Theyhaveshottheirbolt；theyhavemadearebeloftheonlymanTOTHEIROWNKNOWLEDGE，ONTHEREPORTOFTHEIROWNSPYwhoheldtherebelpartyincheck；andhavingthuscalledonwartofall，theycandonomore，sitequally’expertes’ofVIS
andcounsel，regardingtheirhandiwork。ItisalwaysacrywiththesefolkthatheMataafahadnoammunition。I
alwayssaiditwouldbefound；andweknowoffiveboat-loadsthathavefoundtheirwaytoMaliealready。Wheretherearetraders，therewillbeammunition；aphorismbyR。L。S。
NowwhatamItodonext？
LivesoftheStevensons？HISTORIASAMOAE？AHistoryforChildren？Fiction？Ihavehadtwohardmonthsatfiction；I
wantachange。Stevensons？Iamexpectingsomemorematerial；perhapsbetterwait。Samoa；rathertempting；mightbeusefultotheislands-andtome；foritwillbewritteninadmirabletemper；Ihaveneveragreedwithanyparty，andseemeritsandexcusesinall；shoulddoitifIdidveryslacklyandeasily，asifhalfinconversation。HistoryforChildren？ThisflowsfrommylessonstoAustin；nobookisanygood。ThebestIhaveseenisFreeman’sOLDENGLISH
HISTORY；buthisstyleissorasping，andachildcanlearnmore，ifhe’sclever。IfoundmysketchofgeneralAryanHistory，giveninconversation，tohavebeenpracticallycorrect-atleastwhatImeanis，Freemanhadverymuchthesamestuffinhisearlychapters，onlynotsomuch，andI
thoughtnotsowellplaced；andthechildrememberedsomeofit。Nowthedifficultyistogivethisgeneralideaofmainplace，growth，andmovement；itisneedfultotackitonayarn。NowScotchistheonlyHistoryIknow；itistheonlyhistoryreasonablyrepresentedinmylibrary；itisaverygoodoneformypurpose，owingtotwocivilisationshavingbeenfacetofacethroughout-orratherRomancivilisationfacetofacewithourancientbarbariclifeandgovernment，downtoyesterday，to1750anyway。ButtheTALESOFA
GRANDFATHERstandinmyway；IamteachingthemtoAustinnow，andtheyhaveallScott’sdefectsandallScott’shopelessmerit。Icannotcompetewiththat；andyet，sofarasregardsteachingHistory，howhehasmissedhischances！
IthinkI’lltry；Ireallyhavesomehistoricsense，Ifeelthatinmybones。Thenthere’sanotherthing。ScottneverknewtheHighlands；hewasalwaysaBorderer。Hehasmissedthatwhole，long，strange，patheticstoryofoursavages，and，besides，hisstyleisnotveryperspicuoustochildhood。
Gad，IthinkI’llhaveaflutter。Buridan’sAss！Whethertogo，whattoattack。Mustgotootherletters；shalladdtothis，ifIhavetime。
MYDEARCOLVIN，MYDEARCOLVIN，-IwonderhowoftenI’mgoingtowriteit。Inspiteofthelossofthreedays，asI
havetotell，andalotofweedingandcacaoplanting，Ihavefinishedsincethemailleftfourchapters，forty-eightpagesofmySamoahistory。Itistruethatthefirstthreehadbeenagooddealdraftedtwoyearsago，buttheyhadalltobewrittenandre-written，andthefourthchapterisallnew。
ChapterI。ElementsofDiscord-Native。II。ElementsofDiscord-Foreign。III。TheSuccessofLaupepa。IV。Brandeis。
V。Willprobablybecalled’TheRiseofMataafa。’VI。FUROR
CONSULARIS-adevilofalongchapter。VII。StuebelthePacificator。VIII。GovernmentundertheTreatyofBerlin。
IX。PracticalSuggestions。Saythree-sixthsofitaredone，maybemore；bythismailfivechaptersshouldgo，andthatshouldbeagoodhalfofit；saysixtypages。AndifyouconsiderthatIsentbylastmailtheendoftheWRECKER，comingonforseventyoreightypages，andthemailbeforethattheentireTaleoftheBEACHOFFALESA，IdonotthinkI
canbeaccusedofidleness。Thisismyseason；Ioftenworksixandseven，andsometimeseighthours；andthesamedayI
amperhapsweedingorplantingforanhourortwomore-andIdaresayyouknowwhathardworkweedingis-anditallagreeswithmeatthistimeoftheyear-like-likeidleness，ifamanofmyyearscouldbeidle。
MyfirstvisittoApiawasashocktome；everysecondpersontheghostofhimself，andtheplacereekingwithinfection。
ButIhavenotgotthethingyet，andhopetoescape。ThisshowshowmuchstrongerIam；thinkofmeflittingthroughatownofinfluenzapatientsseeminglyunscathed。Weareallonthecacaoplanting。
ThenextdaymywifeandIrodeovertotheGermanplantation，Vailele，whosemanagerisalmosttheonlyGermanlefttospeaktous。Seventylabourersdownwithinfluenza！
Itisalovelyride，half-waydownourmountaintowardsApia，thenturntotheright，fordtheriver，andthreemilesofsolitarygrassandcocoapalms，towheretheseabeatsandthewildwindblowsunceasinglyabouttheplantationhouse。
OnthewaydownFannysaid，’NowwhatwouldyoudoifyousawColvincomingup？’
NextdaywerodedowntoApiatomakecalls。
Yesterdaythemailcame，andthefatwasinthefire。
NOV。29TH？
BOOK。Allright。ImustsayIlikeyourorder。Andthepapersaresomeofthemuptodick，andnomistake。Iagreewithyouthelightsseemalittleturneddown。Thetruthis，IwasfarthroughifyouunderstandScots，andcamenonetoosoontotheSouthSeas，whereIwastorecoverpeaceofbodyandmind。Nomanbutmyselfknewallmybitternessinthosedays。Rememberthat，thenexttimeyouthinkIregretmyexile。Andhoweverlowthelightsare，thestuffistrue，andIbelievethemoreeffective；afterall，whatIwishtofightisthebestfoughtbyarathercheerlesspresentationofthetruth。Theworldmustreturnsomedaytothewordduty，andbedonewiththewordreward。Therearenorewards，andplentyduties。Andthesooneramanseesthatandactsuponitlikeagentlemanorafineoldbarbarian，thebetterforhimself。
Thereismyusualpuzzleaboutpublishers。Chattooughttohaveit，ashehasalltheotheressays；theseallbelongtome，andChattopublishesonterms。Longmanhasforgottenthetermsweareon；lethimlookupourfirstcorrespondence，andhewillseeIreservedexplicitly，aswasmyhabit，therighttorepublishasIchoose。HadthesamearrangementwithHenley，MagazineofArt，andwithTullochFraser’s-
Foranynecessarynoteorpreface，itwouldbearealserviceifyouwouldundertakethedutyyourself。Ishouldloveaprefacebyyou，asshortoraslongasyouchoose，threesentences，thirtypages，thethingIshouldlikeisyourname。Andtheexcuseofmygreatdistanceseemssufficient。
IshallreturnwiththisthesheetscorrectedasfarasI
havethem；therestIwillleave，ifyouwill，toyouentirely；letitbeyourbook，anddisclaimwhatyoudislikeinthepreface。Youcansayitwasatmyeagerprayer。I
shouldsayIamthelesswillingtopassChattoover，becausehebehavedtheotherdayinaveryhandsomemanner。HeaskedleavetoreprintDAMIEN；Igaveittohimasapresent，explainingIcouldreceivenoemolumentforapersonalattack。Andhetookoutmyshareofprofits，andsenttheminmynametotheLeperFund。IcouldnotbearafterthattotakefromhimanyofthatclassofbookswhichIhavealwaysgivenhim。Tellhimthesametermswilldo。Clarktoprint，uniformwiththeothers。
Ihavelostallthedayssincethisletterbeganre-handlingChapterIV。oftheSamoaracket。Idonotgoinforliterature；addressmyselftosensiblepeopleratherthantosensitive。And，indeed，itisakindofjournalism，Ihavenorighttodally；ifitistohelp，itmustcomesoon。Intwomonthsfromnowitshallbedone，andshouldbepublishedinthecourseofMarch。IproposeCassellgetsit。Iamgoingtocallit’AFootnotetoHistory:EightYearsofTroubleinSamoa，’Ibelieve。Irecoilfromseriousnames；
theyseemsomuchtoopretentiousforapamphlet。ItwillbeaboutthesizeofTREASUREISLAND，Ibelieve。Ofcourse，asyounowknow，mycaseofconsciencecleareditselfoff，andI
beganmyinterventiondirectlytooneoftheparties。Theother，theChiefJustice，Iamtoinformofmybookthefirstoccasion。Godknowsifthebookwilldoanygood-orharm；
butIjudgeitrighttotry。Thereisoneman’slifecertainlyinvolved；anditmaybeallourlives。Imustnotstandandslouch，butdomybestasbestIcan。Butyoumayconceivethedifficultyofahistoryextendingtothepresentweek，atleast，andwherealmostalltheactorsuponallsidesareofmypersonalacquaintance。Theonlywayistojudgeslowly，andwriteboldly，andleavetheissuetofate。
Iamfarindeedfromwishingtoconfinemyselftocreativework；thatisaloss，theotherrepairs；theonechanceforaman，and，aboveall，foronewhogrowselderly，ahem，istovarydrainageandrepair。ThatistheonethingIunderstand-thecultivationoftheshallowSOLUMofmybrain。ButIwouldrather，fromsoonon，bereleasedfromtheobligationtowrite。Infiveorsixyearsthisplantation-supposeitandusstilltoexist-shouldprettywellsupportusandpaywages；notbefore，andalreadythesixyearsseemlongtome。Ifliteraturewerebutapastime！
IhaveinterruptedmyselftowritethenecessarynotificationtotheChiefJustice。
IseeinlookingupLongman’sletterthatitwasasusualtheletterofanobliginggentleman；sodonottroublehimwithmyreminder。Iwishallmypublisherswerenotsonice。AndIhaveafourthandafifthbayingatmyheels；butforthese，ofcourse，theymustgowanting。