274 THE CORAL LANDS OF THE PACIFIC. 



not long ago to a gentleman who has a morbid antipathy to 

 Maoris, of whatsoever tribe and lineage, and would have them 

 exterminated as noxious vermin, I remarked : "Be assured, my 

 friend, had you known as many kind women and brave men as 

 I have in the islands of the great South Sea, you would not 

 wish to see them civilised off the face of the earth." ' 



Let us take, as a sample of such expeditions, a day's beche-de- 

 mer fishing on some desert island like Gaspa Eico. 



Beginning with the dark hour just before the dawn, the 

 stars light up the still surface of the lagoon, and under the 

 dark shadows of the towering palms and banyans twinkle 

 numerous points of light, the lamps of great glow-worms and 

 luminous grubs. The great land-crab of the desert makes a 

 noise like repeated blows with a pickaxe, for he is breaking a 

 cocoa-nut for his morning meal. When the grey dawn glim- 

 mers in the east, the sea-birds flap their wings ; and as the 

 light increases, they fly away over the sea to windward wind- 

 ward because they know full well that when they return home 

 heavily laden with fish for their young ones, they will be glad 

 of a fair wind. The natives bathe in the lagoon, and then a 

 fish-breakfast of all sorts including fat cockles and gannets' 

 eggs, and perhaps a great turtle baked in his armour, and huge 

 land-crabs and roasted nuts is disposed of. Next the men 

 collect their gear, knives and baskets, fish-spears and lines, and 

 gourds of water. And the day quickly passes in light labour 

 near the coral shoal, laughing and skylarking as only Coral 

 Islanders can, while they gather the shiny tripang or spear 

 other fish among the stones. Early in the afternoon they will 

 return to their little camp, whe"re some will clean and cook the 

 leche-de-mer, while others will prepare the evening meal ; after 

 which they make large wood fires, and lying on their spread- 

 out mats, they will tell endless stories of phantom ships, ghosts 



