ay week. I could, and would, dwell here
unmoved, but there are things to be attended to.

Never say I don't give you details and news. That is a picture of a
letter.

I have been hard at work since I came; three chapters of _The Wrecker_,
and since that, eight of the South Sea book, and, along and about and in
between, a hatful of verses. Some day I'll send the verse to you, and
you'll say if any of it is any good. I have got in a better vein with
the South Sea book, as I think you will see; I think these chapters will
do for the volume without much change. Those that I did in the _Janet
Nicoll_, under the most ungodly circumstances, I fear will want a lot of
suppling and lightening, but I hope to have your remarks in a month or
two upon that point. It seems a long while since I have heard from you.
I do hope you are well. I am wonderful, but tired from so much work;
'tis really immense what I have done; in the South Sea book I have fifty
pages copied fair, some of which has been four times, and all twice
written; certainly fifty pages of solid scriving inside a fortnight, but
I was at it by seven a.m. till lunch, and from two till four or five
every day; between whiles, verse and blowing on the flageolet; never
outside. If you could see this place! but I don't want any one to see it
till my clearing is done, and my house built. It will be a home for
angels.

[Illustration:

* Point referred to in text.
........ Paths.
======== Our boundary.

_a. Garden._ _b. Present house._
_c. Banana Patch._ _d. Waterfall._
_e. Large waterfall into deep gorge where the heat of the fight was._]

So far I wrote after my bit of dinner, some cold meat and bananas, on
arrival. Then out to see where Henry and some of the men were clearing
the garden; for it was plain there was to be no work to-day indoors, and
I must set in consequence to farmering. I stuck a good while on the way
up, for the path there is largely my own handiwork, and there were a lot
of sprouts and saplings and stones to be removed. Then I reached our
clearing just where the streams join in one; it had a fine autumn smell
of burning, the smoke blew in the woods, and the boys were pretty merry
and busy. Now I had a private design:--The Vaita'e I had explored
pretty far up; not yet the other stream, the Vaituliga (g=nasal n, as ng
in sing); and up that, with my wood knife, I set off alone. It is here
quite dry; it went through endless