A fortnight ago there was a great wallaby hunt down at Moumiri, and natives from all the districts round were present.  A native of Munikahila speared a man from Tabori, who died soon after, so now Makipili, Epakari, and Efari are said to have joined on with Tabori, and unitedly mean to attack Munikahila.  All the natives condemn the murder of the man, because of the time and place.

31_st_.—­Natives all excitement, expecting Munikahila to be attacked.  Every evening the men go armed to Munikahila, and the women, children, dogs, and pigs to the bush.  I am sorry our Keninumu friends should consider it their duty to assist the murderers.  The natives of the district to which the murdered man belonged are quietly biding their time, hunting wallaby close by us.  The kind woman who assisted me the other day has a son by her first husband living at Keninumu, and for a long time she has not seen him, he being afraid to come here.  She knows that Maka was returning yesterday, and felt sure her son would accompany him.  When some distance from here, Maka fired a shot, to let us know he was coming, to which we responded, assuring him all was right.  On hearing the shot, the poor woman became quite excited, came and sat down by our fire, got up and got us firewood, sat down again, telling Kena to get the taro cooked for Maka, rose again and fetched more firewood, then sat down in front of the path, looking steadily and anxiously for the travellers.  Poor body! they came in sight, but her son was not one of them.  She seemed to feel it very much, rose, went to her house, and was not seen again until this morning.  God grant the day is near when the song the heavenly host sang, “Glory to God in the highest, peace on earth and good will toward men,” shall be known and enjoyed here!

September 1_st_.—­We left this morning at seven o’clock and drew up at Makapili at four p.m., resting by the way.  For salt, tobacco, and beads, we had help all the way.  What appears a fine level plain in the distance turns out to be a fine country, full of ridges and luxuriant valleys, abounding in every kind of native vegetable.  From the departure this morning until our bringing-up we could have ridden horses at a fine canter along the ridges from one to another.  This is the best country I have yet seen in New Guinea, and the natives seem very kind and friendly.  At the Laroki we had to strip, and, just above small rapids, holding on by a long line fastened to poles on each side, we crossed over.  The natives have the line to help them when the river is up.  We called at several villages on the ridges, passed others, some on large table-rocks.  Fancy a table-rock with twenty or thirty houses on it.  At Chokinumu, a village 1600 feet above the sea, S.E. from Marivaenumu seven miles, we alarmed the people so that they rushed away, leaving us the village.  Shortly a man came back, pretending to be very unconcerned, chewing betel-nut;