" I quote
from his requisition to Fritze, December 17th. Upon all these
considerations, he goes on, it is necessary to bring the fighting to an
end. Both parties are to be disarmed and returned to their
villages--Mataafa first. And in case of any attempt upon Apia, the roads
thither are to be held by a strong landing-party. Mataafa was to be
disarmed first, perhaps rightly enough in his character of the last
insurgent. Then was to have come the turn of Tamasese; but it does not
appear the disarming would have had the same import or have been gone
about in the same way. Germany was bound to Tamasese. No honest man
would dream of blaming Knappe because he sought to redeem his country's
word. The path he chose was doubtless that of honour, so far as honour
was still left. But it proved to be the road to ruin.
Fritze, ranking German officer, is understood to have opposed the
measure. His attitude earned him at the time unpopularity among his
country-people on the spot, and should now redound to his credit. It is
to be hoped he extended his opposition to some of the details. If it
were possible to disarm Mataafa at all, it must be done rather by
prestige than force. A party of blue-jackets landed in Samoan bush, and
expected to hold against Samoans a multiplicity of forest paths, had
their work cut out for them.
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