THE DOCTOR DIES.

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These were the last words poor Doctor Gray ever uttered, for he sank down upon the deck, and when they stood aside to give him air they looked upon a dead, heart-broken (and I believe, and so does Percy) contrite man.

Tears were in almost every eye but mine; for O, what a relief it was to have avoided the violence of that useless rope, and have God to take him in his own good time and way.

I felt as if my life had been spared. I had a long cry afterwards when I went into his empty cell. Poor man! who could but pity him, his own enemy far more than anybody else's after all.

The man-of-war sailed for Sydney, leaving my friend and me on shore-on shore together once more, and for the last time, in dear old Pombuana!

CHAPTER LII.

THE BEGINNING OF HARVEST.

FOR ten weary and apparently unprofitable years had Mr. Wakefield wrought among us; but now he was to see the fruits of his labours. It was a long tedious seed time, followed by a sudden and glorious harvest.

The improvement and progress accomplished at home during my long absence were something astonishing. I could see at once that the whole Island had got a new idea into its head-some new object to live for-that it liked to be cared for, praised, corrected, by its new-found friend, who was as proud of it and its people as they were proud of him. If they did any wrong he felt as if he had done it himself; if they behaved well he was as satisfied as if he had gained a victory over himself.

They had built, under his direction, a fine large school-house about sixty feet long and twenty-five feet high and twenty feet wide. The raised floor throughout, and the platform at the shoreward end, were a triumph of rude carpentry and levelling skill, the only tool used having been the adze, and the only level, Malagai's eye. The whole surface was carpeted with cool clean matting, made of the interwoven bands of thin, split, and flattened bamboo, which formed a pretty plaid pattern of a whitish yellow colour, and with its own natural polish.

The bamboo bands were a little wider than the palm of your hand, one set running from end to end, the other from side to side.

The side walls were six feet high, covered with reed-work, and hung with coloured pictures, which presented the whole Bible History in a most attractive form, to every one blessed with the usual means of sight.

On Sunday, Percy used to explain one of these pictures, and I another, while Iru and Kiukilu taught a young reading class. We had Service afterwards, and I once more took my seat at the harmonium. It all came back at once with the rest of the old life.

On week days we had school twice, as on Sunday; the evening school being the more popular, because of two large kerosine lamps, which people travelled miles to see.

His visit was in every way a great success. Everything he desired and had been attempting to accomplish for years came then, as it were, with a flash. We all, without exception, vied with each other in trying to save him trouble and spare him fatigue; and, as if to crown all, he was invited to act as peacemaker between the Uri and the Ambupono, whose fighting was the one dark spot upon the pleasant picture.

A great Uri fleet of fourteen large canoes-including a splendid man-of-war, as Malagai called it-longer than the school-house, of perfect symmetry of form, glittering with

A PEACE-MAKING EXPEDITION.

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ornament, and gay with scarlet fringe and feathered streamers -was to convey Mr. Wakefield and Malagai (the two names always went together now) through the Passage to the very threshold of Rasa's village.

In making peace Malagai evidently thought it wisest to be fully prepared for war, and our incurable suspicion was shown in the number, strength, and quantity of murderous weapons, combined in that imposing array of three hundred Pombuana peacemakers, who accompanied the two great Chiefs that day.

But though all this was for the lasting good of Pombuana, it was full of danger to the health of its best friend, who forgot the doctors' warnings about taking it easily, and so forth. Even Malagai, at the last, as if inspired, uttered a caution to his guest, and told him that he did not know all the exposure and fatigue that lay before him. He replied that he had both good provisions and waterproofs, and offered an apology for taking up so much room in "Manawa's" bottom with his baggage, which Valé had carefully stowed on some cross pieces of wood to keep it dry. The Commodore had supplied him with the very best biscuit, and preserved meats and soups of all kinds, some of which he had with him. He said it was an opportunity not to be lost.

It was therefore one rather threatening morning, that our large party were getting ready to start. There was a great deal of noise and hurrying to and fro. Curwen Kiukilu, and I, and another lad, were appointed to take charge of our boat, which was to go with us for a reason which you will presently

see.

I have not time to tell you of our delightful paddle through the Passage; how they enquired of the spirits whether we should go up or whether we should forbear, and how the answer was "Go." How Malagai had ordered fine weather, and on the very morning of the start there were scalding drops, and afterwards an outpouring of the black heavens; and how Haharo

when called to account for this, said that some one had removed his sacred skyward paddle from Waykayfeeloo-the latest and largest addition to the fleet; or of the terrible night we passed cooped up in a small kiala, by the banks of a swampy stream, and how Mr. Wakefield was nearly choked with the fumes from the damp firewood, which formed our only atmosphere.

I will merely say that we approached our late enemies with great caution, encamping on the opposite side of the water to them, and indulging in conch-blasts, which Mr. Wakefield compares to the voice of an ill-fed menagerie; that Malagai's leg swelled up from the exposure and prevented his crossing over, in consequence of which he told Toroa to see that Mr. Wakefield did not go ashore, and was not too liberal with his presents.

"Thank God," writes Mr. Wakefield on the eventful day, “for a quiet head. Bathed in the sea at day-break. A lovely smiling Sunday morning with the clear Trade-wind blowing from over the opposite grassy Ambupono hills, and rippling the sunny waters at our feet. It only wants a Lark at Heaven's gate singing to make it Spring."

My friend disobeyed both of Malagai's injunctions, and the Ambupono people were in ecstacies with him, crowded round him, and treated him very much as the Uri had done on his first visit.

He broke through the thick crust of distrust which existed on both sides, saying that he meant to take the real thingthat is, peace-for granted; although there was a moment when, as the Ambupono and the Uri stood face to face, armed to the eyes, and each three hundred strong, bloodshed seemed to be a more likely result.

Rasa came down to welcome us. He was terribly short of breath, and had apparently forgotten his notes, so that he had to be prompted from behind between his puffs. I give you his speech as Mr. Wakefield has preserved it.

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Malagai!" puff, "Kaykaywayloo!" puff, and total collapse of memory, but profuse perspiration. Prompter, very loud: "Toroa!" repeated in a wheezy puff or puffy wheeze by the speaker, "Toroa !" and so on, till as far as length was concerned the mere enumeration of the Chiefs' names furnished quite an oration itself. Then after the usual collapse of memory, and no suggestion coming from the prompter, who had fallen into a violent altercation with a pretender, the smiling shining little man proceeded with his welcome.

"Ashore with you, Chiefs and Gentlemen, all! say I, this Rasa here, a piece of dust, a nobody!" and then, unable to think of anything else, and no news coming from the prompter, he whisked his spear in our faces, twirled round on one leg, and-bolted.

It was for gorgeous Toroa to reply. He sprang forth, glared around, his spear point following his piercing eye, then crouching behind his glittering shield, swinging himself slowly from side to side, and trundling his spear, he spoke.

He addressed his hearers as his "brethren, his sisters, his elder brothers, his younger brothers, his cousins, his mothers, his fathers (which includes his aunts and uncles), his grandmothers and grandfathers, his mothers-in-law, his fathers-in-law, his sons-in-law, his brothers-in-law, his sisters-in-law, and," with a look at the sinking sun, "all the rest of them." He told them, using his spear for punctuation," that he was full-full of words -words of chiefs and warriors-words of Waykayfeeloo" (and not Kaykaywayloo, if you please, Mr. Rasa), "which he, a piece of offal, was called upon to express." (Great wriggling and trundling of his spear to prepare, I suppose, for the bouncer that was coming). "To-day do three hundred Uri warriors, chiefs, and magnates, quail and tremble before the array of Ambupono. To-day do they come as friends, led by the white man from the East, his name being Waykayfeeloo" (another one for Rasa). "Fight no more,' saith he; and he speaks well.

S