CHAPTER III.

Black Rowing-Weigh Anchor in Brisbane River-First Sight of the Loyalty Islands-Missionary Work-I am taken in ChargeI Fraternise with the Authorities-French Leave-System of Military Colonisation.

LOVERS of the picturesque would, I think, have experienced a new sensation could they have been present at the start of these, the first Kanakas who were returning to their islands. I had hired some half-dozen natives who had served their time in Brisbane, or had been on board of whalers, intending to use them as interpreters on the different islands, and to help to man two whale-boats, pulling four oars each, which I had fitted with masts and sails, and triced up to the davits. And capital oars these men proved. Islanders seem to have a natural gift for pulling; they have a long sweeping stroke, and pull with a dash and vigour that would warm the heart of a Thames waterman, reaching well forward and picking up their stroke from the start. They have, however, rather the Chinese style of rowing, a side wrench

as they feather, which looks awkward at first, but I think the four natives I had in my boat would have showed creditably in any Thames regatta, and in the fearful heat of a South Sea calm would have rather astonished a few very good English amateurs.

Our vessel, dressed up with the gay flags of the new code, the group of merry friends who had come to see us off, the red woollen caps of my boats' crews, and the villainous countenances of most of the natives who paraded the deck, all gave more the effect of a filibustering expedition than the start of a trading voyage as we hove our anchor up in the Brisbane river, and dropped slowly down with the tide mid the cheers and chaff of the lookers-on. The captain, mate, four sailors, cook, trading-master, and myself made up our little party of nine white men, and I was glad to find that the first-mentioned had been on a similar voyage before, as his valuable advice was of great service to me, and he had a cheery, off-hand sort of way in dealing with the blacks which always kept them in good humour.

As nothing of consequence happened on the voyage--which, on the part of the Kanakas, was principally spent in making as many different toilettes in the day as a lady at the sea-side—I shall pass over the contents of my journal till we sighted the French

island of Maré and a new world suddenly opened its wonders before me. It was a high and rocky island, with pines growing down to the water's edge, and the smoke of the natives' fires rose to attract our notice from every part of the beach. As we had on board three men for this island, I was for running right in at once, but it was thought wiser to send a note on shore to the missionary, asking if it was safe.

In the meantime, from every little passage in the reef, canoes had put off, bringing coral, fowls, eggs, and yams, and the deck was covered with natives asking eager questions about everybody and everything. These natives were by far the most civilised I saw in the course of my cruise. The French priests had long been on the island, and it was at that monent occupied by a detachment of soldiers. The natives had no arms, and were evidently in a state of the most abject subjection to the French.

The captain, astride on the foreyard, kept a bright look-out for the passage in the reef, and the light breeze favouring us, we managed to get on to the anchorage, our keel just grazing a fragment of coral as we turned sharp round, and dropped anchor (in twelve fathoms of clear transparent water) before the mission station.

Mr. M, the missionary, who, with his wife, was allowed to live here, sent us a civil message and received us kindly in his own house, where I had an opportunity of seeing some of the fruits of his work amongst the natives. A decent-looking house had been built for him, and one for the school, and here I heard the native children reading the Bible very fluently in their own tongue. A printing-press had also been set up, and copies of the book of Genesis were being quickly turned out by a few native boys and girls. Mr. M- informed me that he sold each copy to the natives for a pound of cotton.

The men were all decently dressed in shirts and waist-cloths, the women in long loose gowns of blue calico; and, wonder of wonders, Mr. M-- had a real live pony, which fed about in front of the house, and evidently lived in clover on maize and bananas.

On going down to our boat we found the beach literally covered with natives of all ages and sexes, each with a pile of yams, gesticulating and talking at the pitch of his or her voice; and in the midst of them two dirty little soldiers, in straw hats and without shoes, but each armed with a chassepot rifle and cartridge pouch. They stood ominously between us and our boat, and as we approached, came forward with fixed bayonets, and in a guttural tone

told us a long story in a language which, as far as I was concerned, might have been Hebrew or Chinese. Now I had had a fair French education in my youth, had studied at Paris, and was in the constant habit of reading the sentimental works of Michelet and Edmond About when I could get them, and so thought no small things of my powers in that line, and had always boasted to my party, that if we met any Frenchman I could tackle him in his own tongue; and the blank look that came over the captain's face when he saw that I did not understand a word, warned me that for my own credit I must risk something.

The soldiers, I found, were from the Island of Bourbon, which may perhaps account for their language, and had been sent down by the commandant with full authority to seize our vessel, persons, and property, and keep possession of the same, till such time as we should have satisfied that gentleman, first, as to why we had not saluted his flag; secondly, as to how we came there at all, contrary to the regulations of his government; and lastly, how much tobacco and spirits we had on board, and whether we would sell them quietly at French prices, or have them requisitioned for the