enough to last them for the day.

Their hut was right in the middle of the little village, and the Maoris
treated them in the most friendly manner, smiling at them in an indolent
fashion as they lolled about the place, doing very little except a
little gardening; for their wants were few, and nature was kind in the
abundance she gave for a little toil. This life soon had its effects
upon Jem, who began to display a disposition to idle too.

"Seems so nat'ral, Mas' Don," he would say. "I don't see why a man
should be always letting sugar-hogsheads down out of waggons, and
rolling 'em about and getting them into warehouses. Why can't we take
it coolly, same as they do?"

"Because we don't want to stand still, Jem," said Don quietly. "You and
I are not savages."

"Well, no, Mas' Don, that's true; but it's very pleasant to take it as
coolly as they do. Why, these chaps, the whole lot of 'em, live just as
if it was always holidays, and a hot water bath thrown in."

"Uncle Josiah used to say that people soon got tired of having
holidays."

"Your Uncle Josiah soon got tired o' giving holidays, Mas' Don. I
never, as you know, wanted many, but he always looked rat-traps at me if
I asked for a day. Here you can have as many as you like."

"Well, let's take one to-day, Jem," said Don. "Fill another basket with
something to eat, take a couple of bags, and we'll go right away into
the forest, and bring back as much fruit as we can."

"I'll be all ready in no time," said Jem, cheerily; and at the end of
three minutes he was equipped, and they started off together, to find
Ngati half lying on the sands in company with about a dozen more of his
tribe, all of whom gave the pair a friendly smile and a wondering look
at the trouble they seemed to take to obtain fruit, when some of the
women or girls could have done the task just as well.

"They are about the idlest set of chaps I ever did see, Mas' Don," said
Jem, as they trudged cautiously along through the ferny woodlands, where
traces of volcanic action were wonderfully plentiful.

"But they work when there's any need for it, I daresay," said Don. "See
how vigorously they can row, and how energetic they are when they go
through the war-dance."

"Oh! Any stoopid could jump about and make faces," replied Jem. "I
wonder whether they really could fight if there was a row?"

"They look as if they could, Jem."

"Looks arn't much good in fighting, Mas' Don. Well, an