chewing materials, as he knew that Mr. Wakefield did not like smoking in the house. But he did so without any other acknowledgment than the sound of sucking his teeth, which was a habit of his.

After awhile the following words, slowly and separately, proceeded out of the darkness in which he was sitting.

"We-two-to-morrow

-dawn."

"Agreed," answered Mr. Wakefield, who understood his manner of speech. 'Smoke, if you like. Others I care less

about do."

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They are fools."

Having delivered this brief, but irreversible judgment, he got up and lighted his tightly crammed pipe over the flame of Percy's candle, and, announcing his intention of sleeping in the great Kiala, where he had left his little son and a large fire, he went out, and down the ladder, merely taking his pipe out of his mouth to wish Mr. Wakefield a Pombuana "Good Night."

CHAPTER XXIII.

DAWN.

NEXT day, before the sun had appeared above the hills of Lama, Haharo was guiding Mr Wakefield up the staircase-like steepnesses, which lead to the high land of Pombuana.

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Turning back," writes my friend in his diary, "to look down upon the world we had left, lying in the dusky stillness of its almond groves, some thousand feet below, I noticed in the south-east, the purple rim of the full ocean clear-cut against the flushing sky. I paused, in the hope that the ever-opening day would reveal a little snowy speck, which was all the world But the sun blazed up, and there was nothing to break the barren field of the wide waters, which immediately below

to me.

MR. WAKEFIELD VISITS ROE.

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us were shuddering in the awakening chill of the morning breeze."

Mr Wakefield and his guide passed up through several prettily perched villages, "the scene becoming grander and more giddy at every step," until at last the track lay along the narrow ridge of the hills, which sloped away on either side like a roof. Here Mr. Wakefield had a better view of the interior of our Island than he had ever had before.

After a three hours' walk, Haharo, who led the way, checked his companion's advance by means of his palms outspread behind him. He then gave a warning shout for the benefit of some person or persons unseen; whose answer being satisfactory, they advanced again, and, after a short turn in the track, the high grass through which it had wound widened into a square, on the opposite side of which were a few poor sheds, but with signs of human habitation.

Out of the door-hole of one of these hopped Rogani, who came and shook hands with Mr. Wakefield, wishing him Goomorny," and adding: “It is well you have come. Enter here."

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So they all three disappeared into the miserable hovel.

Within lay the poor, sick, hunted old man; not in the sleeping place, but with his head at its foot, and its log-border for a pillow.

Mr. Wakefield describes his face as very fine, though, of course, very dirty, with our usual dust and ashes. His small eyes had nothing hard or mean about them, but were full of cheery light.

What, however, struck Percy most was the wonderful smoothness of his brow above the cordage of his hollow cheeks. His hair was long and bleached with lime, and altogether there was a something about the nose and the upper part of the face, and the long straight hair, which had parted naturally in the middle, that recalled to Percy's mind the

features of the dead John Wesley lying upon his bed, as represented in the frontispiece of the Life he had been reading.

There were also in the hut Roé's two brothers, Vili and Nola, and his niece Koéndéré.

Koéndéré was very old and very thin, and her withered face was full of grief. On her head she had heaped up a bundle of tappa cloth, which sat awry, like a disordered turban; and with a corner of it, which hung down as if for that very purpose, she was wiping away her tears.

My friend could scarcely believe that this poor mourner, now so quiet and depressed, was the shrill, forward woman he had met once before, and he felt sorry, he says, for the irritation he had then shown; but he had been worn out with a long journey and want of sleep.

Haharo talked with the two brothers, while Rogani sat beside Percy, at his father Roé's feet.

"We are all at our wits' end with trouble," said Koéndéré, at length, to "her son Waykay," as she tenderly and playfully called him, though not always to his satisfaction. Then pointing to the poor sick body lying helpless there, but still keeping her eyes upon Mr. Wakefield, she sobbed out:

"O, Waykay, friend of us all, he is going to die and leave us! What shall we do?"

"He" had all this time been looking the visitor through and through, as if to make out whether he could trust him, and whether he was like what he had expected him to be.

The first word uttered by the old man in a low solemn tone of half enquiry, startled him.

"Yes; tell him about Deesasa-he does not cease from crying out: 'Beesopay! Deesasa!'" said his niece, with a good deal of the former shrillness in her voice.

Old Roé, who was perfectly conscious and free from pain, then said to Percy in an eager way:

THE PRICE OF PARDON.

"What must I do?"

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Mr. Wakefield rose and sat down by Koéndéré, taking the old man's hand, who continued in an anxious, wearied manner:

"What must I do? Your friends have cast the Ria over me as they did for Dolo; and I must die. I must pray to Jesus, says our son here," casting a glance at Rogani. "Teach me how to pray to Jesus-and He will undo the Ria. What are the words?"

"Jesus, Ko va-vola-u!" (Ko, do thou; Va, make; Vola, live; U, me.) Jesus, save me !" said Mr. Wakefield.

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The dying man repeated the simple words impatiently, and with an eager upward look.

“Tell him the Lord's Prayer," said anxious Rogani.

So Percy did; and Roé repeated every word greedily. When they had ended it, my friend who had had time for reflection said:

"You asked me what you must do. This Prayer of Jesus tells you."

"Where?"

Forgive us as we forgive others."

"Speak further-and speak louder-I am very deaf."

"You must forgive Toroa and Malagai from your heart all the ill they have done you."

"I cannot. Would I could slay them both!"

"Then it is useless for me to stay; for that is the first thing you must do. You have desecrated God's tambus, and He will forgive you only if you forgive those who have done wrong to you."

"Here is money; burn it to the Chief for the desecration of His tambus."

"God has Himself paid the price you cannot pay. That money is His already; for did He not provide the shells, and give hands and sense and strength to make it with ?"

"What is the price?"

"This same JESUS. He was sacrificed for you; and He who forgave and prayed for those who nailed Him to the cross for your sins, will help you to forgive your enemies. This you must do."

"I will try. Jesus help me! Come upon me! Hear me !" So Mr. Wakefield prepared to go down again, having told Roé to think over his past life and try to recollect everything he had done, which he knew to be wrong, and to confess it.

Rogani says that through a sleepless night the sick man from time to time thought of such things, and would confess them aloud, promising God money, food, and Areca-nuts.

For five successive days did Percy toil up to see him, and day by day made things more clear to him. From what he has written in his Diary, but which neither he nor his friends would like me to publish here, and from what Rogani tells me, he seems to have indeed prayed without ceasing at this time, both for Roé and for all Pombuana; and he says, in his humility, that he felt himself to be as great a gainer and learner as his poor heathen patient was.

Rogani was very good at explanation; and his influence with his father and his family in general was very great. He and the White Teacher between them taught the old man the Lord's Prayer, the Creed, and the Ten Commandments; not that he could say them by rote, but what was far better, thoroughly assented to them in his heart.

A Book of Coloured Pictures helped the aged scholar to gain a general knowledge of God's dealings with man under the Old Testament, and of the Life and Miracles of Christ. never tired of hearing how David was hunted by Saul, and said he would try and follow his example in returning good for evil. The great love and forgiveness of the Lord towards those who persecuted and killed Him, impressed Roé deeply and softened his heart. At the account of the raising of Lazarus he sat up, and gave thanks like a child at some unexpected delight.