138 Letter VITT, 
designed and built it. It seems, however, almost a mistake to 
build such elaborate places in these parts. For nine years the 
natives have had it in hand, and as yet have got no good of it, 
using in the meantime a miserable little open shed. A less 
pretentious building would have been finished long ago, and 
probably the natives would have been just as happy and com- 
fortable in it, sitting on the ground on mats, as they will be in 
pews of the still-unfinished church. 
As the vessel was to call at a mission station on the opposite 
side of the island, Mr. Jones proposed that I should ride 
over there and meet her —a proposal which was gladly 
accepted. 
A boy on horseback accompanied me as guide, while 
another ran alongside to ride my horse back again. We had a 
most enjoyable excursion—now gliding quietly under the over- 
hanging trees, now bursting into full galop over smdll open 
plains, now winding slowly round a difficult point, or rising up 
to a slight elevation and gazing back over the gently-undulating 
country, timbered in belts and dotted with tapering pines ; 
while all this time the little foot-boy scudded along like a hare, 
never lagging behind or seeming a bit the worse. The surface 
of the island shows that it has been very roughly used. Some 
great power has been af work below, forcing it up from beneath 
the sea; and this power has left its marks, in the shape of great 
rents and deep chasms. These chasms are, in many cases, like 
‘wells, narrow and often very deep—most dangerous-looking 
places ; and sometimes, when the pathway ran between two of 
them, I was not sorry when the sure-footed little horse had 
passed safely by. 
The distance between the two stations is twelve miles, ‘which 
we performed in about two hours. 
Mr. and Mrs. Murray, who occupy the station we arrived at, 
