’As we were lying to, about half-way along the coast, we espied a brig at anchor close on shore.  Manned the boat and rowed about two miles to the brig, found it was under the command of a notorious man among the sandal-wood traders for many a dark deed of revenge and unscrupulous retaliation upon the natives.  At Nengone he shot three in cold blood who swam off to his ship, because the people of the place were said to be about to attempt to take his vessel.  At Mallicolo but lately I fear he killed not less than eight, though here there was some scuffling and provocation.  For the Nengone affair he was tried for his life at Sydney, Captain Erskine and the Bishop having much to do with his prosecution.  He is now dealing fairly (apparently) with these people, and is certainly on very friendly terms with them.  The Bishop has known him many years, and baptized some years ago his only child, a son.  We are glad to let these men see that we are about in these seas, watching what they do; and the Bishop said, “Mr. Patteson is come from England on purpose to look after these islands,” as much as to say, Now there will be a regular visitation of them, and outrages committed on the natives will probably be discovered.

’Well, on we rowed, half a mile to shore—­such a lovely scene.  A bend in the coral reef made a beautiful boat harbour, and into it we rowed.  Clear as crystal was the water, bright as tropical sun at 2.30 P.M. could make it was the foliage on the shore.  Numbers of children and boys were playing in the water or running about on the rocks and sands, and there were several men about, all of course naked, and as they lead an amphibious life they find it very convenient.  They work little; breadfruit trees, cocoa-nut trees, and bananas grow naturally, and the yam and taro cultivations are weeded and tended by the women.  They have nothing to do but eat, drink, and sleep, and lie on the warm coral rock, and bathe in the surf.

’There was no shyness on the part of the children, dear little fellows from six to ten clustering round me, unable to understand my coat with pockets, and what my socks could be—­I seemed to have two or three skins.  The men came up and soon shook hands, but did not seem to know the custom.  A Nengone man was ashore, and with him I could talk a little.  Soon I was walking on shore arm-in-arm with him, stark naked, and he was asking me about Mrs. Nihill and her child.  A little boy of the island held the other hand, and so, leaving the boat, we walked inland into the bush to see a native village.  Ten minutes’ walk brought us to it—­cottages all of bamboos tied together with cocoa-nut fibre, thatched with leaves, a ridge-pole and sloping roof on either side reaching to the ground.  No upright poles or side-walls; they were quite open at the two ends, perhaps 20, 30, or even 40 feet long; the general appearance clean and healthy.  Their food was kept on raised stages as in New Zealand, and they had plenty of earthenware pots and basins, some of good shape, and all apparently strong and serviceable.  Large wooden or earthenware platters are used for stirring up and pounding the yams with a heavy wooden pestle, and they have a peculiar way of scraping the yam, on a wooden board roughened like a grater, into a pulp, and then boiling it into a fine dough.