The king's chief scribe, Esela, is an old employe under Tamasese, and the talk ran some while upon the character of Brandeis.

Loyalty in this world is after all not thrown away; Brandeis was guilty, in Samoan eyes, of many irritating errors, but he stood true to Tamasese; in the course of time a sense of this virtue and of his general uprightness has obliterated the memory of his mistakes; and it would have done his heart good if he could have heard his old scribe and his old adversary join in praising him.

"Yes," concluded Mataafa, "I wish we had Planteisa back again." _A quelque chose malheur est bon_.

So strong is the impression produced by the defects of Cedarcrantz and Baron Senfft, that I believe Mataafa far from singular in this opinion, and that the return of the upright Brandeis might be even welcome to many.
I must add a last touch to the picture of Malie and the pretender's life.
About four in the morning, the visitor in his house will be awakened by the note of a pipe, blown without, very softly and to a soothing melody.
This is Mataafa's private luxury to lead on pleasant dreams.

We have a bird here in Samoa that about the same hour of darkness sings in the bush.