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them all fall naturally into their places; and a judicious pitting of the natives of one island against those of another gets an immense deal of work out of them. It is quite astonishing to see the change in physique that a short stay on a plantation produces. The fat and grinning fellows working in the fields one would almost suppose to be of a different race from the thin and truculent-looking savage loitering on the beach, with an old musket in his hand, afraid of his own life, and on the look-out for somebody else to shoot at.

The coolies on the plantation I was connected with in Queensland were a very cheerful lot, and I for my part would sooner, for the sort of work I had in hand, have a gang of them than the same number of white men. I used to take them on expeditions in a steamer all about the coast, and they would work at any hour with great cheerfulness, fully rewarded if I lent them my gun, after working hours, to go and shoot pigeons in the scrubs—not that they ever hit any that I could hear of. Pulling off all they had on, and taking their spears, they would wade about in the mud that forms our Queensland seabeach, and spear fish with great dexterity; or, joining in a ring and improvising a drum, would dance and sing far into the night.

I

8

A few of them who had come from islands where there was a missionary, such as Lifu or Maré, used to appear regularly at church-time, in the little school-house where divine service was read; and would read out of their hymn-books, or join in the tunes with a vigour that would surprise a London congregation; and always crowded round at the close of the service, to go through the ceremony of shaking hands with the clergyman.

Most of them, however, spent their Sunday in wandering all over the country, visiting their friends at the neighbouring plantations; and sometimes, while riding late at night, I have seen little knots of two and three, all holding each other's hands, as is their fashion, starting out on some expedition.

One of these half-civilised boys, 'Jim Crow' by name, died on the plantation of consumption, and a coffin was made for him; he was laid out in state in his hut, and his countrymen came and told me they would pray over him. I was much struck by the devout way in which they all behaved: one of them said a long prayer; they then sang a hymn; then, standing up beside the body, 'Faith,' the leading man of the tribe, gave a long address to his countrymen, expatiating on all the good qualites of the deceased, and pointing upwards, told them, as far as

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I could make out, that if they behaved themselves, they would see him again. This being done, they seemed to think they had cried enough over him; and with much laughing and singing, they caught up the coffin, and ran by turns with it till they came to the place where the grave had been dug, followed by all the islanders on the place; some of the latter, Tanna men, evidently thinking that it was a great waste of time and ceremony to bestow on so slight a matter as a dead man, and, bundling the coffin underground as quickly as possible, dispersed merrily.

I do not think I need follow the fortunes of my recruits any further. Suffice it to say that all, as far as I could hear, turned out well, and have, no doubt, by this time got through the first half of their three years of servitude, with credit to themselves and profit to their several employers. Often since then, while riding through the coast country, have I heard myself hailed by name; and some Kanaka has rushed out to shake hands, and asked me to go and fetch his brother or his wife, and bring them on to the same plantation; and has invariably, when questioned, professed himself satisfied with his master, his place, and his food. My favourite boy, Pipe, who pulled stroke-oar in my boat, pestered me for a long time to be allowed to go with me to England. He fol

lowed me to the ship in which I was leaving the colony, and it was only by ghastly tales of English frost and snow that I finally persuaded him to go ashore. The last thing I saw of my pet South Sea Islander was somebody in my old Sydney hat and a pilot coat many sizes too big for him, crying bitterly behind one of my old pocket-handkerchiefs on the wharf, as I sailed away.

APPENDIX.

The following is the Act of Parliament relating to the subject of this Book.

QUEENSLAND.

ANNO TRICESIMO PRIMO.

VICTORIE

No. 47.

REGINE.

An Act to Regulate and Control the Introduction and
Treatment of Polynesian Laborers.

[ASSENTED TO 4TH MARCH, 1868.

WHEREAS many persons have deemed it desirable Preamble, and necessary in order to enable them to carry on their operations in tropical and semi-tropical agriculture to introduce to the colony Polynesian laborers And whereas it is necessary for the prevention of abuses and for securing to the laborers proper treatment and protection as well as for securing to the employer the due fulfilment by the immigrant of his agreement that