The Islets of Fili and Mele. 107 
but the well-known jews-harp. She immediately grabbed 
the Israelitish instrument with a smile of satisfaction, bundled 
the shells over to me, and paddled off in triumph. Some 
women wanted beads, and only one kind of beads would 
their majesties deign to look at; for these dames have fashions 
as well as any others: the small blue beads “were in” at 
the time of our visit, and there was a great run on them. 
Others again wanted knives; while some, I am very much, 
afraid, went off with sundry figs of black tobacco about their 
persons, which we will say were for their brothers. 
This little island of Fili, and another called Melé, about 
three miles from it, are inhabited by two very powerful 
tribes. Fili, the larger of the two, is not over a few acres in 
size, and both of them are used by the natives merely as 
places of residence, their plantations all being on the main 
island. 
Tt is a curious fact, that although these two islets are 
within a hundred yards of the main island of Efaté, and the 
natives of them must come into frequent contact with the 
Efatése, that they are inhabited by quite a different people. 
They speak a totally different language from that of the 
Efatése— nearly pure Malay; and in form they resemble the 
Eastern Polynesians more than any of the New Hebrideans. 
There seems little doubt but that-these people have come 
in canoes, probably at no very distant date, from some of 
the eastern islands, have settled on these islets, and that 
since there has been no intermarriage between them and their 
_ neighbours on Efaté. 
I went on a solitary exploring expedition to the island of 
Fili, going ashore in a canoe which two men had brought aff, 
and engaging these men as guides. Villages are thickly scat- 
tered over the place, and appeared very clean and neat. I 
sketched one or two of the huts from the inside of the 
, 
