golden
fruit, and eating our fill, or rather eating until the smarting of our
lips warned us to desist. Here was a land where, apparently, all people
were honest, for we saw a great many houses whose owners were absent,
not one of which was closed, although many had a goodly store of such
things as a native might be supposed to covet. At last, not being able
to rid ourselves of the feeling that we were doing something wrong, the
solemn silence and Sundayfied air of the whole region seeming to forbid
any levity even in the most innocent manner, we returned on board again,
wonderfully impressed with what we had seen, but wondering what would
have happened if some of the ruffianly crowds composing the crews of
many ships had been let loose upon this fair island.

In the evening we lowered a stage over the bows to the water's edge, and
had a swimming-match, the water being perfectly delightful, after the
great heat of the day, in its delicious freshness; and so to bunk, well
pleased indeed with our first Sunday in Vau Vau.

I have no doubt whatever that some of the gentry who swear at large
about the evils of missionaries would have been loud in their disgust at
the entire absence of drink and debauchery, and the prevalence of what
they would doubtless characterize as adjective hypocrisy on the part of
the natives; but no decent man could help rejoicing at the peace, the
security, and friendliness manifested on every hand, nor help awarding
unstinted praise to whoever had been the means of bringing about so
desirable a state of things. I felt that their Sabbatarianism was
carried to excess; that they would have been better, not worse, for a
little less church, and a little more innocent fun; but ten thousand
times better thus than such scenes of lust let loose and abandoned
animalism as we witnessed at Honolulu. What pleased me mightily was
the absence of the white man with his air of superiority and sleek
overlordship. All the worship, all the management of affairs, was
entirely in the hands of the natives themselves, and excellently well
did they manage everything.

I shall never forget once going ashore in a somewhat similar place, but
very far distant, one Sunday morning, to visit the mission station. It
was a Church mission, and a very handsome building the church was. By
the side of it stood the parsonage, a beautiful bungalow, nestling in a
perfect paradise of tropical flowers. The somewhat intricate service was