At ARAGA--Wonor, on the Southern face of the island, and Lamoru and Qatvenua on the North.
At MAEWO--Tanrig, Tasmouri, Tasmate, Mandurvat, Naruru, and Uta. All these stations are on the North of the island.
At OPA--Tavolavola, Lobaha, Walurigi, the most flourishing of which is that first mentioned.
With these few preliminary remarks and explanations I leave the following simple pages to tell their own story.
N.B.--The vowels in the Melanesian languages are pronounced as in Italian: a = _ah_, e = _a_, i = _e_.
The letter written [¨n] = _ng_ in _singer_; d = _nd_, b = _mb_.
_Friday, 9th July._--The weather seaward looked very threatening as we stood on the Pier at the Settlement in readiness to embark. All the Melanesians, boys and girls, to the number of about 50 had already gone off to the ship which lay tossing and tumbling at her anchorage as if anxious to be let free. A considerable number of Norfolk Island friends were on the Pier, in addition to most of the Members of the Mission, to bid us Farewell and wish us GOD speed. Many thoughtful little mementos, too, found their way into our hands from our warm-hearted and well wishing friends. The process of shaking hands took some time in execution, but one could not but feel the absence of many who were unavoidably absent on the occasion. My own little ones were the last to bid me good-bye, and poor little Walter (my youngest son) was very tearful. Shortly after, we were all in the boat, and “let go” was called out. The landing was very smooth, and we got out with very little difficulty. Besides the Captain, Mr. Turnbull and myself were the only passengers. It was close upon 5 o’clock p.m. when we got on board, and some of the passengers had already begun to feel the motion of the ocean. After things were put into some order and the shore boat dismissed with Captain Bates and the Norfolk Island crew, the command to “heave away” was given, and then I saw for the first time the steam winch at work. Before many minutes the anchor was in its place in the bows of the ship, and the long process of raising the anchor in old days, performed by manual labour, reduced to a minimum. We slipped quietly down the leeside of the island, and had ample time to get into some amount of order and readiness for a very dirty, rough night. Opposite the Mission, the boys ashore had lit a large bonfire, and we could hear their shouts, borne seaward by the raging gale. As night closed in the sky became very dark and lowering, and we knew full well what we were to expect. We had dinner while still under the lee of the island, but before the meal was finished, we were knocking about in the heavy head gale. Of course any where but at Norfolk Island, where there is no certain shelter, it would be approaching madness to put to sea with such a crowd of people in a small ship on a night like this, but here there is no help for it. Perhaps had we not got away as we did, we might have been detained another week, from the uncertainty of wind changes and the insecurity of the anchorages. All night it blew very heavily, with a nasty head sea. Of course, the wind being very strong and dead ahead, we made little or no progress, and were in fact hove to. Most of the passengers spent a very unpleasant night, and the poor little children, of whom we had four on board, suffered like the others. The poor boys in the schoolroom had a disagreeable time, owing to the large amount of cargo on board, in addition to their own luggage. The _Southern Cross_, however, is a magnificent sea boat, although slightly lively, and being at sea was, to me at least, the worst of the evils we experienced that first night. Mr. Turnbull is a good sailor, and he and I were alone in the saloon. Poor old Manekalea I invited also to sleep there, on account of his blindness, and I asked Silas Kema to sleep there and look after him. Poor fellow, his sight seems quite gone, but he is wonderfully patient and resigned. I think now he begins to feel that there is no hope of his ever seeing again, and he begins to try and help himself and get about alone a great deal more than before. The loss of so young, active, and intelligent a Teacher must be much felt in the district of Ysabel, formerly under his charge.