; but the chief marvel and delight was in the gospel series.
Maka, in the opinion of his aggrieved wife, did not properly rise to the
occasion. "What is the matter with the man? Why can't he talk?" she
cried. The matter with the man, I think, was the greatness of the
opportunity; he reeled under his good fortune; and whether he did ill or
well, the exposure of these pious "phantoms" did as a matter of fact
silence in all that part of the island the voice of the scoffer. "Why
then," the word went round, "why then, the Bible is true!" And on our
return afterwards we were told the impression was yet lively, and those
who had seen might be heard telling those who had not, "O yes, it is all
true; these things all happened, we have seen the pictures." The
argument is not so childish as it seems; for I doubt if these islanders
are acquainted with any other mode of representation but photography; so
that the picture of an event (on the old melodrama principle that "the
camera cannot lie, Joseph"), would appear strong proof of its
occurrence. The fact amused us the more because our slides were some of
them ludicrously silly, and one (Christ before Pilate) was received with
shouts of merriment, in which even Maka was constrained to join.

_Sunday, July 28_.--Karaiti came to ask for a repetition of the
"phantoms"--this was the accepted word--and, having received a promise,
turned and left my humble roof without the shadow of a salutation. I
felt it impolite to have the least appearance of pocketing a slight; the
times had been too difficult, and were still too doubtful; and Queen
Victoria's son was bound to maintain the honour of his house. Karaiti
was accordingly summoned that evening to the Ricks, where Mrs. Rick fell
foul of him in words, and Queen Victoria's son assailed him with
indignant looks. I was the ass with the lion's skin; I could not roar in
the language of the Gilbert Islands; but I could stare. Karaiti declared
he had meant no offence; apologised in a sound, hearty, gentlemanly
manner; and became at once at his ease. He had in a dagger to examine,
and announced he would come to price it on the morrow, to-day being
Sunday; this nicety in a heathen with eight wives surprised me. The
dagger was "good for killing fish," he said roguishly; and was supposed
to have his eye upon fish upon two legs. It is at least odd that in
Eastern Polynesia fish was the accepted euphemism for the human
sacrifice. Asked as to the populati