Mr. Dudley adds:  ’His chief trouble at this time was with one of his ears.  The swelling far in not only made him deaf while it lasted, but gave him intense and protracted agony.  More than once he had to spend the whole night in walking up and down the room.  But only on one occasion during the whole time do I remember his losing his patience, and that was when we had been subjected to an unusually protracted visitation from the “loafers” of the village, who would stretch themselves at full length on the floor and table, if we would let them, and altogether conduct themselves in such a manner as to call for summary treatment, very different from the more promising section.  The half jocular but very decided manner in which he cleared the house on this occasion, and made them understand that they were to respect our privacy sometimes, and not make the Mission station an idling place, was very satisfactory.  It was no small aggravation of the pain to feel that this might be the beginning of permanent deafness, such as would be fatal to his usefulness in a work in which accuracy of ear was essential.’

However, this gradually improved; and another boat voyage was made, but again was frustrated by the torrents of rain.  In fact, it was an unusually wet and unwholesome season, which told upon everyone.  Mark Chakham, the Nengonese, was brought very near the grave by a severe attack of dysentery.  All the stores of coffee, chocolate, wine and biscuit were used up.  The ‘Southern Cross’ had been due full a month, and nothing was heard of her through the whole of September.

Teaching and conversation went on all this time, trying as it was; and the people still came to hear, though no one actually undertook to forsake his idols.

‘I am still hopeful about these people,’ is the entry on September 18, ’though all their old customs and superstitions go on just as before.  But (1) they know that a better teaching has been presented to them. (2) They do not pursue their old habits with the same unthinking-security. (3) There are signs of a certain uneasiness of mind, as if a struggle was beginning in them. (4) They have a vague consciousness, some of them, that the power is passing away from their witchcrafts, sorceries, &c., by which unquestionably they did and still do work strange effects on the credulous people, like ‘Pharaoh’s magicians of old.’

This was ground gained; and one or two voyages to Vanua Lava and the other isles were preparatory steps, and much experience had been acquired, and resulted in this:—­

’The feasibility of the Bishop’s old scheme is more and more apparent to me.  Only I think that in taking away natives to the summer school, it must be understood that some (and they few) are taken from new islands merely to teach us some of their languages and to frank us, so that we may have access in safety to their islands.  Should any of them turn out well, so much the better; but it will