“He promised he’d do what he could,” Phil replied, his voice unsteady from the recent excitement. “I’m afraid the ‘Frankenstein’ he has created has grown beyond his control. We’re bound to have war.”
When Phil and his companions arrived in Ukula the town resembled an armed camp. The roads leading to the village were all strongly held. Machine guns and field pieces had been mounted behind hastily constructed barricades. The main strength of the forces was encamped in the town proper between the two streams. The British sailors were in garrison at Kulinuu. The cruiser “Sacramento” had anchored in a commanding position with her heavy broadside bearing upon the town.
Phil found Commander Tazewell and the admiral at the Tivoli Hotel, where the latter had taken up his headquarters, and gave them an account of his mission.
“We must not relax vigilance,” Admiral Spotts said, while Phil saluted, ready to withdraw. “I believe that no hostilities will be thought of until to-morrow. Then we shall see what can be done through diplomacy to avoid bloodshed.”
Phil and Sydney occupied that night their old room in the consulate.
“When I got on board and gave the executive officer the captain’s message about the search-lights,” Sydney said, after Phil had graphically told of the trip to Vaileli and of the great gathering of armed warriors, “he looked queerly at me and exclaimed, ‘Why, he told me that himself the last minute before leaving the ship.’ So, you see, the captain must have thought there was danger, and didn’t want to risk us both.”
“It would be a terrible loss,” Phil exclaimed laughingly.
The next morning Count Rosen and Klinger rode through town back to their homes in the Matafeli district.
At ten o’clock the American admiral and his officers, in full dress uniform and accompanied by the American and English consuls and Judge Lindsay, proceeded to Kulinuu. About a thousand loyal natives had collected; all were unarmed. A large bright Kapuan flag had been brought ashore from the “Sitka” and O’Neil had bent it on to the halliards of the tall flagstaff.
When all was ready, the band struck up a stirring march and the lawful king, Panu-Mafili, declared eligible by the chief justice, put in an appearance. He was strongly escorted by sailors from both the English and American war-ships.