264 THliJ GBUISE OF TEE 'GUBAfJOA.' 



CHAPTEE XYII. 



SAN GEBISTOVAL— SOLOMON GBOTJP. 



(August 30 to September 4.) 



Anchor at Wanga — Arrival of Canoes — Barter — A Walk in tlie Island — 

 Opossum — A glutinous Fruit — Village — Women entirely naked — Human 

 Skulls — Curious Group of Natives — Constant State of Warfare — Fishing in 

 a River — Anchor at Hada — A self-styled King — A Nigger who treats the 

 Natives as Niggers — The Bishop and the Murderer of one of his Teachers 

 — Appearance of the Natives. 



On August 30, about one p.m., we weighed anchor, and 

 sailed for San Christoval, the largest of the Solomon Islands, 

 which is only twelve miles from our anchorage at Uji. On 

 leaving we had taken in tow a large canoe manned by 

 natives, but the speed at which we moved soon compelled it 

 to let go, and trust to its own exertions. The ' Southern 

 Cross ' had weighed some minutes before the ' Cura9oa,' and 

 kept company with her. About three o'clock we anchored 

 in twenty-one fathoms at Wanga, on the north-east coast of 

 San Christoval. The place seemed densely wooded, and we 

 could see a high range of hills, which ran not very far from 

 the shore. We had scarcely dropped anchor, when our ship 

 was surrounded by more than one hundred canoes, for the 

 most part without outriggers, the crews of which had the 

 same pecuhar arrangement about their middle already 



