190 A NATURALIST IN CANNIBAL LAND 



and that becomes a bond, helping to stability of 

 the tie. 



I went back to Gizo to send forward my collections 

 to Europe, and there the man who was looking after 

 the Shamrock for me confessed himself sick of the 

 life of the islands, and asked leave to go back to New 

 Guinea. He had some 40 or 50 due to him for 

 wages, and I advanced him some more money and 

 helped him to buy a small cutter in which he em- 

 barked for New Guinea. He had rather a bad 

 passage and was obliged to land at Sudest Island to 

 replenish his supply of water. Whilst he was ashore 

 there the Merrie Englande put in to the island and 

 placed his boat under arrest because he had com- 

 mitted an offence in landing at Sudest without having 

 clearance papers from any port. Under the cir- 

 cumstances, however, no trouble was made for him. 

 I merely refer to the incident to show how closely 

 the Australian Government patrols the coast of its 

 possessions in the South Seas. 



On board the Merrie Englande at the time was 

 Miss Beatrice Grimshaw, who has written much about 

 the South Seas. My sailor man told me afterwards 

 that the meeting was an amusing one. He heard her 

 remark to the captain of the Merrie Englande : " Did 

 he come all the way from the Solomons in that little 

 boat ? " 



" Yes," was the reply. 



" Then he must be mad," the lady said emphatically. 



