sing human understanding, and we cannot tell from what trials
and sufferings she may thus have escaped."

With the last thought I was greatly comforted.

As we stood together in the verandah that evening, gazing up into the
sky and thinking of the glories now revealed to my mother, we saw a
bright star with a long tail of light, such as we had never before
beheld. I knew at once from its appearance that it was a comet. Many
of the natives had seen it too, and we heard their voices uttering
exclamations of surprise and terror. Soon afterwards we saw Lisele
approaching. She hesitated, as if unwilling to intrude on our grief,
but I called to her, and she came up to us. I told her what I knew
about comets, and begged her to try and calm the alarm of her people,
and to assure them that it was but a luminous mass, and that it
betokened neither good nor evil to the inhabitants of this world, though
Jehovah directed its course, as He orders everything else in the
universe.

"Ah, but the heathens will not think so," she exclaimed, "and we know
not what effect it may have upon their minds. Perhaps they will think
it is sent through the incantations of the Christians, and will come in
consequence and attack us."

I scarcely thought this possible, but Lisele was positive that it would
have a bad effect. She went, however, to tell the Christian natives
what I had said, and to assure them that the comet would do them no
harm.

Oh, how sad was that night and the next morning, when we looked on the
bed on which my mother had slept, and knew that we should never again
see her dear face there, so calm and beautiful. We had, however, our
duties to perform, and we set about them as we knew she would have
desired.

While we were thus engaged Nanari appeared to learn if there was
anything he could do for us, saying that the people would bring us all
the food we might require, and begging that we would not be anxious on
that score. He then told us that a vessel was off the coast, and by
going to the front of the house we saw her. We hoped that she might
have friends on board coming to visit our Station, or that where my
father and Mr Hilton were, as we knew how gladly she would be welcomed
there.

As we watched her, we saw at length, to our disappointment, from the
course she was steering, that she was not coming to our Station, but was
apparently about to enter a harbour further down the coast.

"I would that I could war