you, being a clergyman, should go and do likewise. There are some
ten thousand people here, but I do not observe that as yet you

have converted a, single one."
Thus spoke Bickley in a light and unguarded moment with his

usual object of what is known as "getting a rise" out of Bastin.
Little did he guess what he was doing.

Bastin thought a while ponderously, then said:
"It is very strange from what peculiar sources Providence

sometimes sends inspirations. If wisdom flows from babes and
sucklings, why should it not do so from the well of agnostics and

mockers?"
"There is no reason which I can see," scoffed Bickley, "except

that as a rule wells do not flow."
"Your jest is ill-timed and I may add foolish," continued

Bastin. "What I was about to add was that you have given me an
idea, as it was no doubt intended that you should do. I will,

metaphorically speaking, gird up my loins and try to bear the
light into all this heathen blackness."

"Then it is one of the first you ever had, old fellow. But
what's the need of girding up your loins in this hot climate?"

inquired Bickley with innocence. "Pyjamas and that white and
green umbrella of yours would do just as well."

Bastin vouchsafed no reply and sat for the rest of that evening
plunged in deep thought.

On the following morning he approached Marama and asked his
leave to teach the people about the gods. The chief readily

granted this, thinking, I believe, that he alluded to ourselves,
and orders were issued accordingly. They were to the effect that

Bastin was to be allowed to go everywhere unmolested and to talk
to whom he would about what he would, to which all must listen

with respect.
Thus he began his missionarycareer in Orofena, working at it,

good and earnest man that he was, in a way that excited even the
admiration of Bickley. He started a school for children,. which

was held under a fine, spreading tree. These listened well, and
being of exceedingly quick intellect soon began to pick up the

elements of knowledge. But when he tried to persuade them to
clothe their little naked bodies his failure was complete,

although after much supplication some of the bigger girls did
arrive with a chaplet of flowers锟絩ound their necks!

Also he preached to the adults, and here again was very
successful in a way, especially after he became more familiar

with the language. They listened; to a certain extent they
understood; they argued and put to poor Bastin the most awful

questions such as the whole Bench of Bishops could not have
answered. Still he did answer them somehow, and they politely

accepted his interpretation of their theological riddles. I
observed that he got on best when he was telling them stories out

of the Old Testament, such as the account of the creation of the
world and of human beings, also of the Deluge, etc. Indeed one of

their elders said--Yes, this was quite true. They had heard it
all before from their fathers, and that once the Deluge had taken

place round Orofena, swallowing up great countries, but sparing
them because they were so good.

Bastin, surprised, asked them who had caused the deluge. They
replied, Oro which was the name of their god, Oro who dwelt

yonder on the mountain in the lake, and whose representation they
worshipped in idols. He said that God dwelt in Heaven, to which

they replied with calm certainty:
"No, no, he dwells on the mountain in the lake," which was why

they never dared to approach that mountain.
Indeed it was only by giving the name Oro to the Divinity and

admitting that He might dwell in the mountain as well as
everywhere else, that Bastin was able to make progress. Having

conceded this, not without scruples, however, he did make
considerable progress, so much, in fact, that I perceived that

the priests of Oro were beginning to grow very jealous of him and
of his increasing authority with the people. Bastin was naturally

triumphant, and even exclaimed exultingly that within a year he
would have half of the population baptised.

"Within a year, my dear fellow," said Bickley, "you will have
your throat cut as a sacrifice, and probably ours also. It is a

pity, too, as within that time I should have stamped out
ophthalmia and some other diseases in the island."

Here, leaving Bastin and his good work aside for a while, I
will say a little about the country. From information which I

gathered on some journeys that I made and by inquiries from the
chief Marama, who had become devoted to us, I found that Orofena

was quite a large place. In shape the island was circular, a
broad band of territory surrounding the great lake of which I

have spoken, that in its turn surrounded a smaller island from
which rose the mountain top. No other land was known to be near

the shores of Orofena, which had never been visited by anyone
except the strangers a hundred years ago or so, who were

sacrificed and eaten. Most of the island was covered with forest
which the inhabitants lacked the energy, and indeed had no tools,

to fell. They were an extremely lazy people and would only
cultivate enough bananas and other food to satisfy their

immediate needs. In truth they lived mostly upon breadfruit and
other products of the wild trees.

Thus it came about that in years of scarcity through drought or
climatic causes, which prevented the forest trees from bearing,

they suffered very much from hunger. In such years hundreds of
them would perish and the remainder resorted to the dreadful

expedient of cannibalism. Sometimes, too, the shoals of fish
avoided their shores, reducing them to great misery. Their only

domestic animal was the pig which roamed about half wild and in
no great numbers, for they had never taken the trouble to breed

it in captivity. Their resources, therefore, were limited, which
accounted for the comparative smallness of the population,

further reduced as it was by a wicked habit of infanticide
practised in order to lighten the burden of bringing up children.

They had no traditions as to how they reached this land, their
belief being that they had always been there but that their

forefathers were much greater than they. They were poetical, and
sang songs in a language which themselves they could not

understand; they said that it was the tongue their forefathers
had spoken. Also they had several strange customs of which they

did not know the origin. My own opinion, which Bickley shared,
was that they were in fact a shrunken and deteriorated remnant of

some high race now coming to its end through age and
inter-breeding. About them indeed, standing" target="_blank" title="prep.&conj.虽然；还是">notwithstanding their

primitive savagery which in its qualities much resembled that of
other Polynesians, there was a very curious air of antiquity. One

felt that they had known the older world and its mysteries,
though now both were forgotten. Also their language, which in

time we came to speak perfectly, was copious, musical, and
expressive in its idioms.

One circumstance I must mention. In walking about the country I
observed all over it enormous holes, some of them measuring as

much as a hundred yards across, with a depth of fifty feet or
more, and this not on alluvial lands although there traces of

them existed also, but in solid rock. What this rock was I do not
know as none of us were geologists, but it seemed to me to

partake of the nature of granite. Certainly it was not coral like
that on and about the coast, but of a primeval formation.

When I asked Marama what caused these holes, he only shrugged
his shoulders and said he did not know, but their fathers had

declared that they were made by stones falling from heaven. This,
of course, suggested meteorites to my mind. I submitted the idea

to Bickley, who, in one of his rare intervals of leisure, came
with me to make an examination.