THE SOLOMONS AGAIN 193 



into close contact with white life was the prevalence of 

 consumption and of a still more dreadful disease. 



Coming away from San Christoval I encountered 

 a great storm, with rain and almost continuous light- 

 ning. It was at the time of the change from the 

 N.W. to the S.E. monsoons. I ran before the storm 

 under bare poles for some hours, and when the wind 

 moderated a little I set the mizzen and the jib and 

 hove to. It was the wildest night at sea in my 

 experience. 



I got to the little bay where the white traders of 

 the luxurious life were and rested there gratefully 

 a whole day. From the natives of the bay I got 

 on this occasion some of their spears, which are made 

 of the shin bones of men, which are carved into very 

 fine lace work. From there I went along the coast 

 to Ysabel Island, not doing much collecting, but 

 buying turtle shells and native money; and then 

 made my way to Gizo. 



To bear out what I have just said about native 

 outrages ; I was on this occasion just outside Marabou 

 lagoon when the trader who some time previously 

 had bought the Hekla from me was being killed by 

 the natives. He was sitting on the rail of his little 

 vessel when the natives came in a canoe and toma- 

 hawked him from behind his back. His name was 

 Oliver, and so far as I know he had never done any- 

 thing himself to incur the resentment of the natives. 

 But just at that time a native boy who had been shut 



