Kennell Island, where she touched on the 27th, proved to be inhabited by Maoris.  One man, who swam alone to the vessel, offered the salutation of rubbing noses, New Zealand fashion, and converse could be held in that language.  Two more joined him, and spent the night on board in singing a kaka or song of love for their visitors.  Next day the island was visited.  ’Oh the beauty of the deep clefts in the coral reef, lined with coral, purple, blue, scarlet, green, and white! the little blue fishes, the bright blue starfish, the little land-crabs walking away with other people’s shells.  But nothing of this can be seen by you; the coral loses its colour, and who can show you the bright line of surf breaking the clear blue of this truly Pacific Ocean, and the tropical sun piercing through masses of foliage which nothing less dazzling could penetrate.  Our three friends, with two more men, their wives and children, form the whole population of the south end of the island at all events, perhaps twenty in all.  I trod upon and broke flowering-branches of coral that you would have wondered at.’

Bellona likewise had a Maori-speaking population.  There was no passage through the reef, so the Bishop and Patteson took off their coats, one took two hatchets and the other two adzes, and with a good header, swam ashore.  Walking up the beach, they found a place in the bush with nine beautiful canoes, with nets, and large wooden hooks in them, but at first no people; and they were leaving their presents in the canoes when Patteson spied two men, and advanced to them while the Bishop went back to fetch the goods.  After a rubbing of noses and a Maori greeting, the men were reassured, and eleven more came up, one a chief with a spear in his hand.  ’I had my straw hat fastened by a ribbon, which my friend coveted, so I let him take it, which he did by putting his adze (my gift) against it, close to my ear, and cutting it, off—­not the least occasion to be afraid of them.’  A characteristic comment, certainly!  But there was no foolhardiness.  The Bishop was on the alert, and when presently he saw his companion linger for a moment, a quick ‘Come along,’ was a reminder that ‘this was not the beach at Sidmouth.’  The peculiar quickness of eye—­verily circumspect, though without the least betrayal of alarm or want of confidence, which was learnt from the need of being always as it were on guard, was soon learnt likewise by Patteson, while the air of suspicion or fear was most carefully avoided.  The swim back to the boat was in water ’too warm, but refreshing,’ and ended with a dive under the boat for the pure pleasure of the thing.

Then, as before arranged, Bauro was revisited on another part of the coast, where Iri was ready with a welcome, but Diddimang appeared no more.  He had returned to native habits, and had made no attempt at teaching, but the visits he had made to New Zealand were not lost, for the Bishop had acquired a knowledge of the language, and it was moreover established in the Bauro mind that a voyage in his ship was safe and desirable.  ’This part of Bauro was exceedingly beautiful:—­