79 
Hui people are singing their evening church service, conducted by 
Andy Yiungtughaghe, a young man with the most severe elephantiasis on 
the island. As I looked in at him reading from the Bible in Mota language 
in robes of an Anglican priest, with his huge filarial lower extremities 
giving him an elephantine firmness in his role, I could not help but be 
amused, amazed, and in some way very sad — for this most remote of all New 
Hebridean islands distresses me in its beauty, I cannot help but 
look on the children here as other than captives. The very intelligent 
and able people crippled by elephantiasis are truly captives of their 
homeland. The four children of the French citizen, Marcel (one-half 
Ambryn, one-half French) , who married Alice from here, who has now re- 
married after her husband's death, a man from Vila, are all here cared 
for by two families. Stanley apparently brought them here from Vila 
after Marcel's death. The fact that he came now to take sixteen year 
old Marcelline back to Mota Lava as his house servant, which is what his 
brother, Andrew, says of the matter, comes as a surprise to us. Apparently, 
Andrew and Stanley quarreled over the matter last night. We had not 
thought of the situation at all when we agreed to bring his "niece" back 
to Mota Lava with him. Jean is rather disturbed by the three totally 
uneducated "French" children here on Hiu: Daniel, 12, Doris, 8 and 
Marcelline, 16. Their sister Maria is somewhere in Vila with Alice, 
the mother! He points out that they are all entitled to French govern- 
ment supported education through Lycee-level, and feels that they have 
been cheated by being sequestered here. 
There has still been some wailing today for the death of Stanley's 
father by his half-sister, who greeted him on the beach as we landed 
yesterday, and burst into loud wails for the loss of their father in 
September, I believe. The remembrance dance and feast given by Stanley 
at Mota Lava was for his death, but Stanley had not been home to see 
his family since the death was reported to him. 
Marcellire's departure seems to have left many people dejected and 
disturbed. Stanley's visit and quarrel with his brother Andrew, over 
his taking Marcelline of f to work for him at Mbta Lava has not gone well 
with everyone. Jean considers that we have been tricked by Stanley 
into believing that this was his real niece, really adopted by himi 
The day has really been stormy, but only light rains have struck 
us. This night is clear but very windy with a very stormy sea on the 
windward, southeastern side. I have hiked along the southeastern Bay 
shore to the outer side of the small island-like peninsula and finally 
seen a large number of birds, whose species I do not know. 
If all goes well we may get to Tegua tomorrow briefly. We shall 
miss the old Torres Islander, ex-captain of the New Hebridean Recruiting 
Vessel, Jonny , owned by Jean My of Santo. He now lives alone with 
his wife from Aoba on Metoma Island just off the northern coast of Tegua, 
usually totally alone. 
The isolation of the Torres Islands is extreme. One feels it here. 
The people are remote from all sources of outside help. In emergencies 
they can go to Tegua and on to Loh by canoe and they usually do. 
However, it is open sea, and dangerous. 
