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it to a Swiss cottage, with its widespread roof and zig-zag framework. Within were Riroto's mat, just as he had risen from it, the ashes of the dead fire, and his toy shield and spear, just as he had hung them up and left them, never to return.

The day was spent in a climb to the summits of Sironi. We passed through several villages, and saw many splendid specimens of our goodly Croton bushes, which were new to Percy. In the evening we assembled in Aroha's cool shady house. Aroha would not let Percy sleep anywhere but by his side on a nice wide raised couch. My friend won their confidence by trusting himself entirely in their hands.

Kiukilu was allowed the use of the fire to boil the kettle, and after tea, Percy lighted our lantern, and we had prayers.

"I write this by lantern light," says my friend, in his account of the day's proceedings, "far away from kith and kin, in a strange interior, with queer surroundings, wishing myself in the middle of next week, when the vessel is due; but perfectly comfortable in mind, though somewhat seedy in wardrobe, and suffering from lack of conveniences for washing hands, etc." They had brought him about a thimbleful of boiling hot water at the bottom of a greasy wooden bowl for that purpose.

Earlier in the day he had talked to them, as was his custom, about the Beginning, and the cause of Death and means of Life, and a more attentive congregation, he says, he never had in Pombuana. It was dark, and he lay as if asleep beside Aroha.

"The talk," he continues, "turned on 'Deesasa,' and what I had said was fairly well reproduced by Aroha. He asked Pomo if these were our prayers he had heard, asking God to have mercy on us, and all the rest of it. 'Oh, I heard it quite plain,' said he, 'for was it not all in the speech of Uri? Then the talk turned on Riroto, and I suddenly found myself sitting up. Here was I in his father's house! Aroha told me again how much little Riroto was thought of, and how dearly they loved him, and how all the world would have come to mourn

for him if he had died in his own home. Then, with Percy and Arthur for Parish Clerks, who murmured assent from time to time, I told them once more (for there were many friends and strangers in the house) the story of his illness and his death; I said he is not lost nor gone astray, but being a little innocent child he has gone to Him who calls little children to him to Jesus; and that if they would like to see him again they must embrace the religion of Jesus, who is taking care of Riroto, and who took their heart's treasure in order that He might win them. There were sobs in the dim house at these words; so I said, let us cry for ourselves, and not for Riroto; his state is better than ours, and so on, until Aroha said—

"Now is my heart comforted. All is well. Our sorrow and anger are at an end, now that you have come and talked to us. Riroto left us and went to you, and has stayed with you for ever."

Thus pleasantly ended our visit to Lalo. Strange to say, I was in no way impatient at our many delays; but now that the object of my ardent desire seemed within my grasp I cared less about it. Or was it fear for the success of our undertaking?

How that undertaking prospered you shall hear in the next chapter.

CHAPTER XXX.

BUYING A WIFE.

WE left Lalo at about seven next morning, overloaded with presents and food from our hospitable hosts, and sailed quietly about nine into the Bay, whence rises the shortest ascent to my secluded home.

I climbed at once to give notice of Mr. Wakefield's arrival, and to catch as soon a glimpse as might be of the face that was

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mirrored in my mind: while he, Rogani, and Kiukilu, bathed and rested after our pull. My people had seen us, and were already on the move. I was fairly borne back again by the crowd of men, women, and children who accompanied Diara and my mother to the beach; my father remaining to welcome the visitor at home. We found Percy and his friends fast asleep on the sand, but soon awoke them and destroyed their solitude.

Percy's baggage was very quickly shouldered among us, and we took him by an easier way than that by which he had gone up before, abounding in rushing torrents, crossed by slender bridges.

Diara placed a new house of his at Percy's disposal, and made himself generally useful and agreeable, and never begged, according to my instructions.

My friend calls him a fine, noble, handsome young fellow; and, as usual, I shall not venture to contradict.

I and my friends devoted ourselves to the task of collecting all the money we could. We strung every loose bead and stitched up every broken string, and worked hard day and night, until we calculated that, with Percy's white treasure and his own red money (the price of the axes he had sold), we had enough even to satisfy the greediness of Pélua, Noni's aunt, with whom she was then living.

I felt this was against us; for Pélua was getting rather old, and did not want to part with her niece, moreover she was such a money lover and so hard, that my heart used almost to fail me, and many a deep sigh did I heave, and many a time wipe my steaming brow as I vainly tried to thread some illformed bead, holding it up to the light, and spearing it with our native string.

After tea, one moonlight night, Percy, Arthur, and I climbed up the familiar rocky and rooty stairs, which led to Rota E. We were going to buy Noni. I, who was the most interested

of all, had the least to say in the matter. The two most important personages were two nobodies-messengers-the principal persons did not meet each other at all, and I saw nothing of Noni.

We walked straight to Pélua's house, and were bidden to sit down on her log verandah, where refreshments were brought us. Even Rogani was rather nervous about facing Pélua at this time, and remained outside with us. She regarded every one concerned in this endeavour to rob her of her daughter (we don't say niece) with aversion, and kept them at a distance. Our only hope was to catch her by means of her love of money. Had I then known all I know now, we would not have given ourselves so much trouble.

The moonlight was so bright that Percy could easily see to read by it; but presently his attention was distracted by the approach of a very ancient withered man.

My friend looked at me for an introduction. "Old Manékangéa of Sonivoka," I said.

"Where is that?" said he,

"Over there at Galaga,"

"I will go and speak to the old fellow. Call me if I am wanted."

But no one wanted us; we were nobody. The women were everybody on these occasions.

To Percy's surprise, no sooner did he get within talking distance of Manékangéa (the oldest inhabitant of Pombuana), than he covered his eyes with his hands, and fled crying:

"Lest I behold my Tambu! hide it! hide it! or I am a dead man."

This behaviour seemed neither reasonable nor yet polite; but it was repeated several times, for Mr. Wakefield wanted very much to ask the old man questions about Galaga, and to ascertain exactly where Sonivoka was, since the huge island looked but an exaggerated stone's throw distance from the

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Matambala beach, and he had never yet had an introduction there.

We found out afterwards that the dark blue colour of Mr. Wakefield's trousers was the old man's forbidden thing. Not that he had ever seen dark blue trousers before, or that such garments were known to the originators of the Tambu; but the real thing forbidden to be looked upon by the members of this Galaga tribe was some part of the shark's inside, which is of that tabooed colour.

My mother and Marévo were in the next house all this time, and presently out came a tall young woman with a big basket on her head, full of money: the price of Noni. My friend's things were cunningly reserved as a make-weight; because it was the custom on the one side to grumble and refuse with contempt the paltry sum offered, and on the other to have a reserve fund, which generally concluded the bargain. But this was an extraordinary case, and it presented extraordinary difficulties.

The precious young woman lowered her basket and disappeared with it inside the door-hole round the corner. The conversation was too indistinct for us to make out what was said; but after a few minutes' buzz and hum, back came the young woman, who passed us by without notice and went to deliver her message to my father and mother. It was, that Noni would not be allowed to go to Happy Island.

Now the clouds began to lour again; and I felt that my path was growing dark before me.

We followed her to the house, where my father and mother and Diara and friends were assembled, and Percy announced, with considerable earnestness, that it was Tambu for me, being a Christian, to marry a heathen.

So the messenger was sent again to the aunt, with the enquiry: "If you won't let the girl go, say why?"

The answer was that no girl had ever gone there before;

K