22o CHALLENGER 



breakers on the seaward side of the island a few hundred yards 

 away. 



Although Challenger was at Funafuti only about a fortnight her 

 men became a part of the place; they spent their evenings in 

 the scattered, palm-thatched homes along the 'main street', 

 while Tom and the Captain, at the invitation of Chief Clerk Kofe, 

 occupied the empty District Officer's house for a night or two 

 and imagined themselves administering these lovely atolls. It was 

 a sad moment when the ship's boat left the wharf for the last 

 time, carefully navigating through the children splashing in the 

 water and leaping from the jetty into the sea ahead of her. Reher's 

 big straw hat and the massive figure of the Pastor could be seen 

 above the group that stood watching on the wharf till the ship 

 had weighed and turned to the westward. 



The Ellice group is formed of nine islands, the local name for 

 them, 'Tavalu', denoting this number, Nukufetau was the next 

 of the group visited, 60 miles to the north, and it appeared over 

 the horizon at first like the two masts of a ship, which resolved 

 themselves into towering trees as the island gradually took 

 shape. As at Funafuti, the ship was able to anchor within the 

 lagoon, which is enclosed by an almost perfect rectangle of 

 reefs and low islands, with the village situated at the south-west 

 comer, 



A ship had been lost on the northern part of this atoll some 

 months previously and it was the surveyor's task to fix the island 

 by star sights ashore, using the theodolite, as the wreck enquiry 

 had thrown some doubt as to the exact position of Nukufetau, 

 The scientists were delighted to visit another atoll similar in con- 

 struction to Funafuti, and they were soon at work with their 

 charges verifying the doubtful points which still remained after 

 their work at Funafuti. 



Here there was no convenient wharf and, except at high tide, 

 those landing had to disembark from the ship's boats at the edge 

 of the reef and either wade or be pushed in a narrow and shallow 

 draught canoe across the half-mile of shallows to the village. A 

 tried and trusted surveying recorder was landed to find a suitable 

 location for the taking of the sights and to find accommodation 

 for the party who would be observing throughout the night, and 



