for trepang. The Darnley islanders appear a much more interesting people
than the Australians. Many of those present at the service were clothed.
They sang very well indeed such hymns as "Come to Jesus," "Canaan, bright
Canaan," which, with some others, have been translated into their
language. Mr. McFarlane addressed them, through the teacher, and the
people seemed to attend to what was said.

Because of a strong head wind, we could not leave the next day, so Mr.
McFarlane and I returned to the shore. We found the children collected
in Gucheng's house, learning to write the letters on slates. There were
very few girls present--indeed, there are not many girls on the island,
so many have been destroyed by their fathers at birth. We strolled about
and visited the large cocoanut plantation belonging to the society. On
our return we found the teacher and a number of natives collected near
the beach. They had just buried a man who had died the night before--so
Christian burial has begun. Formerly, the body would have been hung up
and tapped, to allow the juices to run out, which would have been drunk
by the friends. We returned to the mission house for dinner. I was glad
to find so many boys living with Gucheng. They were bright, happy little
fellows, romping about, enjoying themselves.

We did not get away from Darnley Island till the morning of Wednesday,
the 10th. The navigation between Darnley and Murray Islands is
difficult, arising from various reefs and currents. Although only twenty-
seven miles separate the two, it was Friday night before we anchored at
Murray Island. We went ashore the same night.

On Saturday, we climbed to the highest point of the island, seven hundred
feet high. There seems to be no lack of food, chiefly grown inland. From
the long drought, the island presented in many places a parched look, and
lacked that luxuriance of vegetation to which we had been so long
accustomed on Rarotonga.

At the forenoon meeting on Sunday there were nearly two hundred present.
Mr. McFarlane preached. A few had a little clothing on them; some seemed
attentive, but the most seemed to consider the occasion a fit time for
relating the week's news, or of commenting on the strangers present. The
Sabbath is observed by church attendance and a cessation from work. There
is not much thieving on the island; they are an indolent people. The
school is well attended by old and young, and Josiah, the tea