’Then we sailed to the great bay of Pango, landed at Fate a fellow who had come to the Bishop in New Zealand for a passage, and in the afternoon sailed away through “the Pool” (the landlocked space between Mallicolo and Espiritu Santo to the west; Aspee, Ambrym, Whitsuntide, Aurora to the east), where for eighty miles the water is always smooth, the wind always steady, the scenery always lovely, and where, on this occasion, the volcano was bright.

’Being nearly becalmed to the south-east of Leper’s Isle, the Bishop gave me the choice of a visit to Whitsuntide or Leper’s Island.  I voted for the latter, and delighted we were to renew an acquaintance made two years ago, and not since kept up, with these specially nice people.  We were recognised at once, but we have a very small vocabulary.

’The sea was running heavily into the bay, but it is sand there and not much rock on the beach, and we had a jolly swim ashore.  Then we bought a few yams, which the surf did not permit us to get to the boat, and had a very pleasant visit; for, as we sat among them, words came into one’s head, or were caught from their mouth, and at the end of twenty minutes we were getting on a little.  The old chief took me by the hand and led me aside to the spot where the ladies were assembled, and divining no doubt that I was a bachelor, politely offered me his daughter, and his protection, &c., if I would live among them.

’I missed seeing the Bishop knocked clean over by the breakers as he was swimming off to the boat; I was still talking to the people, with my back to the sea, and only saw him staggering to his feet again.  Thinking to myself that if he was knocked over, I had better look out, I awaited a “smooth” and swam out comfortably.

’The next morning (Sunday) at ten, we dropped anchor in Port Patteson, the harbour which you know the Bishop would call after my father.  The first person who came off to us was Sarawia, my old Lifu pupil, from this island!  Then came a good many men.  I told them there would be no going ashore and no trading till the next day.  Palemana, your friend Matawathki, &c., were at church, all dressed and well-behaved.  What nice orderly people they are, to be sure!

’The next day we bought lots of yams, and gave away seeds and fruit-trees, or rather planted them; and looked for a place for a station, and fixed at last on the rising-ground which forms the east side of the harbour, and the Bishop, arming himself with an axe, led a party to clear the bush, which was very thick.  They made a fair path through in one afternoon to the top, and a healthy place might be found now with little trouble to return to at night from the schools, &c. in the village below, and so shirk the malaria.

’But the next day, as I had anticipated, rather changed his intentions as to the principal station being formed at Vanua Lava.  We landed at Sugar Loaf Island, and with something of pride I showed off to him the beauties of the villages where I slept in May last—­ the dry soil, the spring of water, the wondrous fertility, the large and remarkably intelligent, well-looking population, the great banyan tree, twenty-seven paces round—­and at once he said, “This is such a place as I have seen nowhere else for our purpose.”