FOTEWANE 195 
heard the story of Jesus. He could see the sea and the 
ships that came and went, but they were far below him. 
White men and women he had never seen. Other men of 
his tribe often went to the market at Malu. Some adven- 
turous spirits had been away to work on plantations in other 
islands. But these things were not for him; he must be con- 
tented with his monotonous, limited life in the hills. 
“Down in the Christian village of Malu lived a man of 
the same tribe, who had been to Queensland, and had heard 
and received the gospel. And bit by bit, one after another, 
a little part of his clan came down and cast in their lot with 
him and with the school people. They were opposed, of 
course, but not very strongly, and the Christians sometimes 
went up to see their heathen relatives. 
“Tt was from them that Fotewane heard tales of a won- 
derful house with all sorts of extraordinary things in it. 
It was as big as five or six native guest houses put into one. 
And the beds were covered with beautiful white calicoes. 
And the doors and windows were ever so big, and had glass 
in them like the bits of looking-glass the boys brought home 
from the plantations, only ever so much larger. 
“And the woman who lived there was white, not black, 
and wore long calicoes, and could even talk their language 
just a little. Better still, there would be a white man stay- 
ing there presently, too. 
“This last was too much for Fotewane. His resolve was 
taken. He, too, would go to school. He, too, would be a 
Christian. Of spiritual hunger he had none, but he must 
see all these wonderful things. So down the slippery bush 
track, mile after mile, he shambled and crawled on his hands 
and poor little bent knees. And here he was at last. 
“Truly, it was more wonderful than he had been told. 
Tables, chairs, beds, pictures, curtains, veranda, wooden 
floors, pots, pans, kettles, cups, plates, stove; all the com- 
mon etceteras of a very simple ménage overwhelmed 
