’Yet there are moments when one has such an overwhelming sense of one’s sins and negligences provoking God to chastise one.  I know that His merciful intention towards men must be accomplished, and on the whole I rest thankfully in that, and feel that He will not suffer my utter unworthiness to hinder His work of love and goodness.’

At Mota, Mr. Atkin’s journal shows to what work a real helper needed to be trained:—­

’The Mission-house had lost its roof in a gale of wind.  The epidemic that was raging last year did not seem to have continued long after with such violence; some more of the people were dead, but not very many.  We took off all the Mota boys, and things that were wanted in three boat-loads, the last time leaving the Bishop.  There was, fortunately, very little surf, and we got nothing wet, but as the tide was high, we had to carry the things over the coral reefs with the water a little above our knees.

’About an hour later we dropped anchor at Vanua Lava.  On Saturday morning I went ashore with the boat, and got water for washing and sand for scrubbing decks, and several tons of taro and yams discharged on board the vessel.  Then made another trip, left all the boys on shore for a holiday, and took off twelve or fourteen cwt. of yams, taro, and cocoa-nuts.  After dinner and washing up, went to fetch boys back.  Where we bought the yams there was such a surf breaking that we could not haul the boat on the beach, and we had to wade and carry them out.  After we got on board, we had a bathe.  Two of the Solomon Islanders distinguished themselves by jumping off the fore-yard, and diving under the ship.  Mr. Tilly and the mates had been stowing, and the rest of us had been getting yams all day, and if our friends could have seen us then, haggard-looking and dirty, singing choruses to nigger melodies, how shocked they would have been!

’Next Thursday went across to Mota, took the Bishop on board, and sailed south as fast as possible.

’Sunday morning we were at the entrance of the passage between Ambrym and Mallicolo, without a breath of wind.  We had service at 10 A.M.; and in the afternoon, psalms and hymns and chants in the cabin, the Bishop doing most of the singing.

’June 6th.—­On Monday morning we landed at the old place at Tariko.  We began to buy some yams.  The Bishop and William Pasvorang went ashore, and the rest of us stayed in the boat, keeping her afloat and off the reefs.  Unfortunately the place where we landed was neutral ground between two tribes, who both brought yams to the place to sell.  One party said another was getting too many hatchets, and two or three drew off and began shooting at the others.  One man stood behind the Bishop, a few feet from him, and fired away in the crowd with a will.  The consternation and alarm of both parties were very ludicrous.  Some of each set were standing round the boat, armed with bows and arrows, but they were so frightened that they never seemed to think of using them, but ran off as hard as they could scamper to the shallow water, looking over their shoulders to see if the enemies’ arrows were after them.  One arrow was fired at the Bishop from the shore, and one hit the boat just as we pushed off.