en men, who he declared
were the best in the islands for our purpose. Although it seems somewhat
premature to say so, the general conduct of the successful candidates
was so good as to justify Tui fully in his eulogium. Perhaps his
presence had something to do with it?

We now had all that we came for, so that we were anxious to be off. But
it was a job to get rid of the visitors still remaining on board.
They stowed themselves away in all manner of corners, in some cases
ludicrously inadequate as hiding-places, and it was not until we were
nearly five miles from the land that the last of them plunged into
the sea and struck out for home. It was very queer. Ignorant of our
destination, of what would be required of them; leaving a land of ease
and plenty for a certainty of short commons and hard work, without
preparation or farewells, I do not think I ever heard of such a strange
thing before. Had their home been famine or plague-stricken, they could
not have evinced greater eagerness to leave it, or to face the great
unknown.

As we drew farther off the island the wind freshened, until we had a
good, whole-sail breeze blustering behind us, the old ship making, with
her usual generous fuss, a tremendous rate of seven knots an hour. Our
course was shaped for the southward, towards the Bay of Islands, New
Zealand. In that favourite haunt of the South-seaman we were to wood and
water, find letters from home (those who had one), and prepare for the
stormy south.

Obviously the first thing to be done for our new shipmates was to clothe
them. When they arrived on board, all, with the single exception of Tui,
were furnished only with a "maro" of "tapa," scanty in its proportions,
but still enough to wrap round their loins. But when they were accepted
for the vacant positions on board, they cast off even the slight apology
for clothing which they had worn, flinging the poor rags to their
retreating and rejected compatriots. Thus they were strutting about, in
native majesty unclad, which, of course, could not be endured among even
so unconventional a crowd as we were. So they were mustered aft, and,
to their extravagant delight, a complete rig-out was handed to each of
them, accompanied by graphic instructions how to dress themselves. Very
queer they looked when dressed, but queerer still not long afterwards,
when some of them, galled by the unaccustomed restraint of the trousers,
were seen prowling about with shirts tied roun