"EUMPBACKING" AT VAU VAU. 251 



magazines. Yet I have no doubt whatever that this 

 gentleman would have been heartily commended by the 

 very men who can hardly find words harsh enough to 

 express their opinion of missionaries of the stamp of 

 Paton, Williams, Moffat, and Mackenzie. 



Well, it is highly probable — nay, almost certain, 

 that I shall be accused of drawing an idyllic picture of 

 native life from first impressions, which, if I had only 

 had sufficient subsequent experience among the people, 

 I should have entirely altered. All I can say is, that 

 although I did not live among them ashore, we had a 

 number of them on board; we lay in the island harbour 

 five months, during which I was ashore nearly every 

 day, and from habit I observed them very closely ; yet 

 I cannot conscientiously alter one syllable of what I 

 have written concerning them. Bad men and women 

 there were, of course, to be found — as where not ? — but 

 the badness, in whatever form, was not allowed to 

 flaunt itself, and was so sternly discountenanced by 

 public (entirely native) opinion, that it required a good 

 deal of interested seeking to find. 



But after all this chatter about my amiable friends, 

 I find myself in danger of forgetting the purpose of our 

 visit. We lost no time in preparation, since whaling 

 of whatever sort is conducted in these ships on pre- 

 cisely similar lines, but on Monday morning, at day- 

 break, after a hurried breakfast, lowered all boats and 

 commenced the compaign. We were provided with 

 boxes — one for each boat — containing a light luncheon, 

 but no ordered meal, because it was not considered 

 advisable to in any way hamper the boat's freedom to 

 chase. Still, in consideration of its being promptly 

 dumped overboard on attacking a whale, a goodly 

 quantity of fruit was permitted in the boats. 



