Adventures in New Guinea | Page 6

the island expressed
himself on the subject:--"White fellow, he too much make fright, man
he all run away, no want see white fellow gun no more." In 1871, the
first teachers were landed here.
The Sunday morning was fine, and we resolved to spend a quiet
forenoon on shore. We landed after breakfast, and walked through what

must be in wet weather a deep swamp, to the mission house on the hill.
Gucheng, the Loyalty islander, who is teacher here, looks a good
determined fellow. The people seem to live not far from the mission
house, so did not take long to assemble. There were about eighty at the
service, including a few Australians employed by one of the white men
on the island to fish for trepang. The Darnley islanders appear a much
more interesting people than the Australians. Many of those present at
the service were clothed. They sang very well indeed such hymns as
"Come to Jesus," "Canaan, bright Canaan," which, with some others,
have been translated into their language. Mr. McFarlane addressed
them, through the teacher, and the people seemed to attend to what was
said.
Because of a strong head wind, we could not leave the next day, so Mr.
McFarlane and I returned to the shore. We found the children collected
in Gucheng's house, learning to write the letters on slates. There were
very few girls present--indeed, there are not many girls on the island, so
many have been destroyed by their fathers at birth. We strolled about
and visited the large cocoanut plantation belonging to the society. On
our return we found the teacher and a number of natives collected near
the beach. They had just buried a man who had died the night
before--so Christian burial has begun. Formerly, the body would have
been hung up and tapped, to allow the juices to run out, which would
have been drunk by the friends. We returned to the mission house for
dinner. I was glad to find so many boys living with Gucheng. They
were bright, happy little fellows, romping about, enjoying themselves.
We did not get away from Darnley Island till the morning of
Wednesday, the 10th. The navigation between Darnley and Murray
Islands is difficult, arising from various reefs and currents. Although
only twenty- seven miles separate the two, it was Friday night before
we anchored at Murray Island. We went ashore the same night.
On Saturday, we climbed to the highest point of the island, seven
hundred feet high. There seems to be no lack of food, chiefly grown
inland. From the long drought, the island presented in many places a
parched look, and lacked that luxuriance of vegetation to which we had

been so long accustomed on Rarotonga.
At the forenoon meeting on Sunday there were nearly two hundred
present. Mr. McFarlane preached. A few had a little clothing on them;
some seemed attentive, but the most seemed to consider the occasion a
fit time for relating the week's news, or of commenting on the strangers
present. The Sabbath is observed by church attendance and a cessation
from work. There is not much thieving on the island; they are an
indolent people. The school is well attended by old and young, and
Josiah, the teacher, has quite a number of children living with him.
They sing very well.
Several of the old men here wear wigs. It seems when grey hairs appear
they are carefully pulled out; as time moves on they increase so fast
that they would require to shave the head often, so, to cover their shame,
they take to wigs, which represent them as having long, flowing, curly
hair, as in youth. Wigs would not astonish the Murray islanders, as Mr.
Nott's did the Tahitians after his return from England. They soon spread
the news round the island that their missionary had had his head newly
thatched, and looked a young man again.
On Monday, the teachers' goods and mission supplies were put on
board the Bertha. On Tuesday afternoon, after everything was on board,
a farewell service was held with the teachers, and early on Wednesday
morning we left Murray Island for New Guinea. On Friday, we made
New Guinea, off Yule Island, and about sunset on October 21st we
anchored about five miles off Boera. Near to the place where we
anchored was a low swampy ground covered with mangrove. We could
see Lealea, where there has been so much sickness. It presented the
same low, swampy, unhealthy appearance. Soon after we anchored a
canoe came alongside with Mr. Lawes and Piri on board. Mr. Lawes
did not seem so strong as I remembered him eleven years ago, yet he
looked better than I had expected to see him. He has suffered greatly
from the climate.