ly made by the natives themselves
from plantain or palm leaves, or from the inside fibre of the
arrowroot. Some rather elderly men and women in the front rows were
taking notes of the sermon. I found afterwards that they belonged to
the Bible class, and that their great pride was to meet after the
service and repeat by heart nearly all they had heard. This seems to
show at least a desire to profit by the minister's efforts.

After the usual service there were two christenings. The babies were
held at the font by the men, who looked extremely sheepish. One baby
was grandly attired in a book-muslin dress, with flounces, a tail at
least six feet long dragging on the ground, and a lace cap with
cherry-coloured bows; the other was nearly as smart, in a white-worked
long frock and cap, trimmed with blue bows. The christenings over,
there was a hymn, somewhat monotonous as to time and tune, but sung
with much fervour, followed by the administration of the sacrament, in
which cocoa-nut milk took the place of wine, and bread-fruit that of
bread. The proper elements were originally used, but experience proved
that, although the bread went round pretty well, the cup was almost
invariably emptied by the first two or three communicants, sometimes
with unfortunate results.

After service we drove through the shady avenues of the town into the
open country, past trim little villas and sugar-cane plantations,
until we turned off the main road, and entered an avenue of mangoes,
whence a rough road, cut through a guava thicket, leads to the main
gate of Faataua[9]--a regular square Indian bungalow, with thatched
roofs, verandahs covered with creepers, windows opening to the ground,
and steps leading to the gardens on every side, ample accommodation
for stables, kitchens, servants, being provided in numerous
outbuildings.

[Footnote 9: 'Fuatawah' or 'Faataua,' _to make friends_.]

Soon after breakfast, Mrs. Brander dressed me in one of her own native
costumes, and we drove to the outskirts of a dense forest, through
which a footpath leads to the waterfall and fort of Faataua. Here we
found horses waiting for us, on which we rode, accompanied by the
gentlemen on foot, through a thick growth of palms, orange-trees,
guavas, and other tropical trees, some of which were overhung and
almost choked by luxuriant creepers. Specially noticeable among the
latter was a gorgeous purple passion-flower, with orange-coloured
fruit as big as pumpkins