I think I must give you our staff in a tabular form.
| HOUSE + o Sosimo, provost and butler, and my valet. o Misifolo, who is Fanny and Belle’s chamberlain. | KITCHEN + o Talolo, provost and chief cook. + o Iopu, second cook. Tali, his wife, no wages. Ti’a, Samoan cook. Feiloa’i, his child, no wages, likewise no work—Belle’s pet. + o Leuelu, Fanny’s boy, gardener, odd jobs. In APIA + Eliga, washman and daily errand man. | OUTSIDE + o Henry Simelé, provost and overseer of outside boys. Lū. Tasi Sele. Maiele. Pulu, who is also our talking man and cries the ava. |
The crosses mark out the really excellent boys. Ti’a is the man who has just been fined ½ his wages; he is a beautiful old man, the living image of “Fighting Gladiator,” my favourite statue—but a dreadful humbug. I think we keep him on a little on account of his looks. This sign o marks those who have been two years or upwards in the family. I note all my old boys have the cross of honour, except Misifolo; well, poor dog, he does his best, I suppose. You should see him scour. It is a remark that has often been made by visitors: you never see a Samoan run, except at Vailima. Do you not suppose that makes me proud?
I am pleased to see what a success The Wrecker was, having already in little more than a year outstripped The Master of Ballantrae.
About David Balfour in two volumes, do see that they make it a decent-looking book, and tell me, do you think a little historical appendix would be of service? Lang bleats for one, and I thought I might address it to him as a kind of open letter.
Dec. 4th.—No time after all. Good-bye.
R. L. S.
To J. Horne Stevenson
The following refers again to the introduction to the history of his own family which Stevenson was then preparing under the title A Family of Engineers. The correspondent was a specialist in genealogical research. I give this letter as a sample of many which passed between these two namesakes on this subject; omitting the remainder as too technical to be of general interest.