530 PROCEEDINGS OF SECTIOX E. 



gale and a heavy sea into an unknoMai supposed passage was one that 

 required all possible skill and forethought, and a long look ahead. Very 

 fortunately, however, there were no dangers in the way which could not 

 be seen and avoided, and so we were soon glad to see the sorely-bufEetted 

 little vessel rounding the inner point of one of the numerous islands and 

 finding smoother water under the lee of the protecting reef. Some 

 natives came of?, one of whom knew a few words of English. We got 

 anchorage in 15 fathoms, under the lee of a barrier reef. The wind was 

 still blowing hard, and it was evidently a very dirty night outside, so 

 we were all very thankful that we were safe in a good anchorage. The 

 natives were certainly Polynesian, and Selu (the Samoan who ac- 

 companied me) and I could understand many of their words and some 

 of their sentences. The name of this atoll, as given in the chart, is 

 Leueneuwa, but the name, I think, is wrongly spelt, as it bears no 

 meaning whatever that I know of in any Polynesian language. The 

 proper spelling is Le ua Niua. This was certainly the way in which I wrote 

 it before I knew of the other spelling, and the Samoan who was with me 

 also spelt it the same way. It is, I think, one of the largest atolls 

 known. It was discovered by Lemaire and Schouten in 1616, again by 

 Tasman in 1643, and by Captain Hunter in 1791. The British flag was 

 hoisted on the group in 1900, when it was transferred from the possession 

 of Germany to British protection. It is situate in latitude 5° 29' 35* 

 south and longitude 159° 41' 40" east, and is, I think, considerably 

 over 100 miles in circumference. The lagoon contains many islets and 

 islands besides those on the main barrier reef. 



On Wednesday, June 18th, we landed on the island of Keila. 

 There was a large crowd of natives on shore, and as we neared the 

 beach two of them came out on the reef, each holding the end of a long 

 string of cocoanut leaves with one or two very young nuts on it, and 

 some pieces of dried pandanus leaf. Before we were allowed to land, 

 these leaves were brushed over the head of everyone of us in the boat. 

 This was to drive away any sickness or ill luck that we might be bring- 

 ing with us. ' This was the first time that I had ever been put through 

 this ceremony in the Pacific. The people were all very friendly, and 

 the women and girls soon came about us. This was very different 

 indeed from the custom in the Solomons and other Melanesian groups, 

 where the women are rarely seen by strangers. The women and girls 

 gave us specimens of their dances, and altogether the people were very 

 iriendly. The men wore tortoise-shell ornaments in their noses, much 

 as the Santa Cruz natives do ; but in this place they were hung with 

 the edge outwards, whilst in Santa Cruz they hang flat over the upper 

 lip and mouth. We found here a native called Peter who understood 

 a little English, and he introduced me to an old man in the following 

 words : — " This fellow, he missionary, all same you." I could not 

 understand at first what he meant, but soon found out that the man 

 to whom he introduced me was the priest of the village, and we were 

 afterwards shown the heathen temple or tabu house in which he lived. 

 At the far end of the house was the sacred enclosure into which he 

 entered when his services were required to drive away sickness, bring 



