Samoa Under the Sailing Gods
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On King's Birthday, 1925, the Administrator was honoured with a knighthood; and soon afterwards he set out on his annual inspection of Savaii. I watched with appreciation, while in no way responsible, the way in which the natives of the isolated village where I was trading, Falelima, made preparation for his visit. It was almost as if they were laying themselves out to humour a child.
First they procured some red cloth from a distant store—I had none—from which they made lava-lavas and fezzes. The latter they decorated with five-pointed stars cut from tobaccotins which they had begged from me. Then they requested me to teach them to salute with guns. To the best of my ability I instructed one of them in presenting arms: a relic of some months of military training. That having been acquired, they hastily erected a number of temporary privies on the beach: where there had previously been only that which was on my property. All was now ready.
The main Government party made no stop at Falelima—indeed they went through it, in due course, like scalded cats—but the Falelima people were instructed to put in an appearance at Neiafu, about a mile away.
Accordingly, practically all the adult males of Falelima—including the Matais—arrayed themselves in the garb of the Fetu, loaded shot-guns—such as had them—and marched off in a body to Neiafu. Having arrived before the Administrator, they fired a salute in the air and presented arms. With this demonstration they declared that he was delighted.
In common with all other traders, I received a scrubby chit of waste paper—which I think I still have—on which was a scrawl in blue pencil to the effect that the Administrator would see me at a certain specified time. It was not, however, delivered to me, by Government messenger, until some hours after he had left Neiafu—the place I was directed to attend.
The following day the Fetu of Falelima were disbanded, and the privies were not many days in falling down.