range castaways. He came back with other helpers in canoes, and the
five getting aboard were swiftly paddled to Motutala.

As the canoes skimmed over the surface of the great lagoon Elikana
and his friends could see, spread out in a great semi-circle that
stretched to the horizon, the long low coral islets crowned with palms
which form part of the Ellice Islands.

The islanders, men, women, and children, ran down the beach to see the
newcomers and soon had set apart huts for them and made them welcome.
Elikana gathered them round him, and began to tell them about the
love of Jesus and the protecting care of God the Father. It all seemed
strange to them, but quickly they learned from him, and he began to
teach them and their children. This went on for four months, till one
day Elikana said: "I must go away and learn more so that I can teach
you more."

But they had become so fond of Elikana that they said: "No, you must
not leave us," and it was only when he promised to come back with
another teacher to help him, that they could bring themselves to part
with him. So when a ship came to the island to trade in cocoa-nuts
Elikana went aboard and sailed to Samoa to the London Missionary
Society's training college there at Malua.

* * * * *

"A ship! A ship!" The cry was taken up through the island, and the
people running down the beach saw a large sailing vessel. Boats put
down and sculls flashed as sailors pulled swiftly to the shore.

They landed and the people gathered round to see and to hear what they
would say.

"Come onto our ship," said these men, who had sailed there from Peru,
"and we will show you how you can be rich with many knives and much
calico."

But the islanders shook their heads and said they would stay where
they were. Then a wicked white man named Tom Rose, who lived on the
island and knew how much the people were looking forward to the day
when Elikana would come back to teach them, went to the traders and
whispered what he knew to them.

So the Peruvian traders, with craft shining in their eyes, turned
again to the islanders and said: "If you will come with us, we will
take you where you will be taught all that men can know about God."

At this the islanders broke out into glad cries and speaking to one
another said: "Let us go and learn these things."

The day came for sailing, and as the sun rose, hundreds of brown feet
were running to the beach, children