Asau, on the north-west coast of Savaii, has several houses built out in a corner of the large square harbour-lagoon on neat-piled plats of black lava rock, connected with the shore by means of gang-planks—beneath which, through pellucid water, swim bright fishes: striped red, blue, green. A piled causeway, bisected by sections of fosse, forms a road along the rock-bound strand, and behind this are a number of thatched, domed fales—sugar-cane-leaf roofs elevated on circles of short posts—established at irregular intervals and varying heights upon an uneven basalt surface; which supports nothing much else but some rather arid-looking palms. It is a black but interesting-looking place, a mass of rock, and anything but pleasant to walk about.

Behind the village in the direction of the great lava-field lie considerable plantations of coco-nuts, rising from loose volcanic scoria overrun with a creeping green weed; and at the back of these stretches a wide belt of damp forest, the painful and dim track through which leads to the vast razor-edged lava-field and northern Savaii.

On the occasion of my next visiting Asau, in my official capacity, after the Tamasese incident, I was accorded an unfavourable reception in the light of Samoan custom. I saw nothing of the Taupou during my stay in the village. The bed prepared for me was the most meagre pile of mats, there were holes in the mosquito-screen, and the house—that of the pulenuu, a Government official—generally presented a squalid appearance. On meeting the chiefs they none of them brought kava, and the presentation of food was insulting—consisting of stale baked fish and some taro.

The elaborate slight—for such it was, although any one of these things would have passed unnoticed—applied not only page 172to myself. I had with me, in addition to my interpreter, the Native Inspector of Lands for the district, an important chief belonging to Sataua and one of the best of our native officials. He was much put out, not only on his own account, but because this thing—a serious matter to his mind—had happened in one of his villages. It might well be compared to having the door slammed in one's face in Europe.

I took no apparent notice of the matter, but reported it to the Resident Commissioner of the island, under whose jurisdiction the pulenuu was—being actually an official of the Native Department—enumerating the various points. I was of the opinion that as this treatment undoubtedly was accorded for doing what was merely one's obvious duty in enforcing the Administrator's orders, it should not be allowed to pass without comment. It never occurred to me at the time that Tamasese had been banished otherwise than properly.

By way of contrast, and as an indication that the reception was peculiar to this place, I described that given on the same inspection by the adjacent village of Auala, which lies in the same bay as Asau. Here our party was presented with a quantity of food including five pigs; practically all of which, of course, in conformance with custom, was immediately returned to the donors.

In due course I received a reply from the Resident Commissioner, saying that he had forwarded my letter to Mr. Griffin, together apparently with my report on the motor-boat incident. Griffin had passed them to the Administrator, who commented as follows:

"I have read the reports forwarded by Mr. Rowe to the Resident Commissioner, and I consider that Mr. Rowe has a mistaken idea as to what the Natives should do for him during his Malanga. I have already issued instructions that the Natives are not to waste their time in making preparations and organizing entertainments for Officials' Malangas, and therefore I quite concur with their action in not presenting Mr. Rowe with five pigs and fowls, or in arranging for the Taupou to meet and entertain him. I wish you to issue instructions accordingly. This does not mean that I do not desire the Natives to show proper respect, or to make the necessary arrangements for page 173accommodation of all Government Officials. These things they must do, and I know they will readily do, if a proper relationship is maintained on the part of the Government Officials towards the Natives. What is rather an alarming part in the report is, that Mr. Rowe carries a revolver. My views are: That under existing conditions in Samoa, an Official who cannot perform his duties without the protection of a revolver, does not understand the Native mind. The prestige and influence of an Official, should be sufficient protection.

In my report on the Tamasese incident I had mentioned that I had a revolver in my possession. This, of course, I did not produce under the circumstances, or take it from the suitcase in which it was. The inspectors carried revolvers in case it was necessary to destroy maimed animals.

I replied to the Resident Commissioner:

"Referring to your memorandum of 10th June—I note that His Excellency the Administrator does not wish the Samoan custom of the presentation of food to visitors continued so far as Government officials are concerned. This will obviate the possibility of any inferior food being presented with the idea of slighting the recipients…."