WITH THE PIONEERS ON ERROMANGO 133 
was sent by Mrs. Gordon with Mr. Gordon’s dinner. Thus 
he and the lad who had been assisting Mr. Gordon were wit- 
nesses of all that took place between Mr. Gordon and Naho- 
bili, till they left to go to the house, which Mr. Gordon con- 
sented to do at the urgent request of Nahobili. He carried 
a hatchet in his hand. 
“One of Mr. Gordon’s lads remarked that Nahobili was a 
bad man, and that he had killed a great many people. Mr. 
Gordon took the hatchet out of his hand, and asked him why 
he killed people, remarking that it was very bad to kill people. 
He hung his head and made no reply. Mr. Gordon returned 
the hatchet. Nahobili then said that he wished cloth for 
himself and his companions, that they might come to wor- 
ship on the following Sunday. Mr. Gordon took a chip of 
wood and wrote on it a request to Mrs. Gordon to give them 
a little bit of cloth each, and offered it to the native to take 
to her. He refused the chip, and begged Mr. Gordon to go 
with him to the house to give medicine to a sick man. 
“The story about the sick man induced Mr. Gordon to 
comply with the request of the native. So, tying up his 
dinner again, to eat which he had sat down, he arose to ac- 
company Nahobili; and as if to facilitate to the utmost the 
designs of the murderer, he had sent his own two lads away 
to cut some wood, of which he was in want; and further, 
he consented at the request of the native to walk before, so 
the savage with his hatchet was behind. They had not pro- 
ceeded far when a man, who had been concealed in the bush, 
sprang out and aimed a blow at Mr. Gordon with a hatchet. 
He raised his arm to ward off the blow, and received a slight 
wound. He then ran, pursued by Nahobili. 
“A steep place in the narrow path covered with loose 
stones impeded Mr. Gordon’s progress; the savage, more 
fleet and firm of foot, overtook him, and struck him a deadly 
blow on the back near the loins. He fell, and a second blow 
in the neck from the man who first struck him, put an end 
to his life. His death must have been instantaneous, as the 
