shipmates. "Friend Golding, what do you
now say of these pleasant-mannered, happy islanders?" I ask.

"I knock under," says he. "England is a better place; but there are
thousands there who get on very well without religion, so I say religion
has nothing to do with it."

"Religion has everything to do with it," I answer, in a somewhat hasty
tone. "Religion influences those who have no religion themselves. The
heathen world of old, with all its civilisation, was not one jot better
than are these cannibals, equally given over to work all manner of
uncleanness. If it were not for the true faith of some, influencing
general opinion, many Englishmen would even yet be the same as these
savages. I may say, as said a pious minister of whom I have read, if it
were not for God's grace, we ourselves should be as are these poor
barbarians; we might well see ourselves in them."

"A truce with your preaching, John Harvey. You would make us all out
blacker than we are," says Phineas, walking on quickly.

"That were a hard matter," I say. "Be not offended, I include myself,
remember. It is only as we see ourselves in Christ Jesus that we are
otherwise than most black, guilty, and lost."

"I understand you not, John," he answers. "But you shall not force me
to acknowledge that I am not better than these half-naked savages."

"I did not say that; by God's grace, or in His providence, there are
great differences, but all are sinners in the sight of God's holy law.
But we will talk more of this another time."

This island of Tahiti, or Otaheite, is the largest of a group known as
the Society Islands. It is about fifty miles long, consisting of two
peninsulas joined by a narrow isthmus. It contains a mountain rising
twelve thousand feet above the level of the sea. The other islands of
the group are mostly lofty. They are Eimeo, Huaheine, Ulitea, Bolabola,
and others. They are volcanic, and mostly fertile in the extreme.

We visit Ulitea, a beautiful island where there is a vast morai.
Numbers of priests reside here, and it is looked on as the sacred island
of the group. In reality it is more given over to horrible wickedness
than any other. While on shore we witness another terrible human
sacrifice. Not a week passes but some unhappy people fall victims to
the bloodthirsty passions of the priests.

This my first introduction to savage life makes me feel doubly grateful
to God that I was born of Christian parents