THE SOLOMON ISLANDS. 



CHAPTER L 



INTRODUCTORY. 



THOSE who have never been tempted " to seek strange truths 

 in undiscovered lands," will perhaps find it difiicult to appre- 

 ciate the disappointments, inconveniences, and petty difficulties 

 which beset the traveller, however favourably circumstanced he may 

 be. Patience and perseverance enable him finally to disregard these 

 lesser hindrances and to devote his undisturbed attention to the 

 principal objects he ha^ in view : and thus, when writing at some 

 future time the narrative of his experiences, he gives but little pro- 

 minence to matters which aftected very materially at the moment 

 both his personal comfort and his chances of success. 



Amongst the Solomon Islands the student of nature may be 

 compared to a man who, having found a mine of great wealth, is 

 only allowed to carry away just so much of the precious ore as he 

 can bt-ar about his person. For there can be no region of the world 

 where lie experiences more tantalisation. Day after day he skirts 

 the shores of islands of which science has no " ken." Month after 

 month, he may scan, as I have done, lofty mountain-masses never yet 

 explored, whose peaks rise through the clouds to heights of from 

 7,000" to 10,000 feet above the sea. He may discern on the moun- 

 tain-slopes the columns of blue smoke which mark the abodes of 

 men who have never beheld the white man. But he cannot land 

 except accompanied by a strong party ; and he has therefore to be 

 content usually with viewing such scenes from the deck of his 

 vessel. Fortunately, however, there are some parts of the Solomon 



