About midnight
Even had the German demands been moderate , de Coetlogon could not have forgotten the night of the _ taumualua _ , nor how Mataafa had relinquished , at his request , the attack upon the German quarter . Blacklock , with his driver of a captain at his elbow , was not likely to lag behind . And Mataafa having communicated Knappe 's letter , the example of the Germans was on all hands exactly followed ; the consuls hastened on board their respective war-ships , and these began to get up steam . About midnight , in a pouring rain , Pelly communicated to Fritze his intention to follow him and protect British interests ; and Knappe replied that he would come on board the _ Lizard _ and see de Coetlogon personally . It was deep in the small hours , and de Coetlogon had been long asleep , when he was wakened to receive his colleague ; but he started up with an old soldier 's readiness . The conference was long . De Coetlogon protested , as he did afterwards in writing , against Knappe 's claim : the Samoans were in a state of war ; they had territorial rights ; it was monstrous to prevent them from entering one of their own villages because a German trader kept the store ; and in case property suffered , a claim for compensation was the proper remedy .