give them some
medicine? for it was a strong sickness this, and even the "thick"{*} man
or woman withered and died from it. Soon they would all be dead.

* I.e., strong, stout.

Alas! we could not help them much, for our medicine chest was long since
depleted of the only drug that would have been of service. At every
island in the group from Nanomea southwards we had found many of the
people suffering and dying from a malignant type of fever introduced
by an Hawaiian labour vessel. Then an additional misfortune followed--a
heavy gale, almost of hurricane force, had set in from the westward
and destroyed countless thousands of cocoanut trees, so that with the
exception of fish, food was very scarce.

We sent Suka on shore in the boat at once with a few mats of rice and
bags of biscuit--all the provisions we could spare. Then as soon as
the vessel was anchored the captain, Senior, and myself followed. The
resident native teacher met us on the beach, his yellow face and gaunt
frame showing that he, too, had been attacked. Many of the people, he
told us, had gone to the temporary village on Funafala, where a little
more food could be obtained than on the main island, the groves of palms
there not having suffered so severely from the gale. Among those who had
gone were Susani and the family who had adopted her, and we heard with
sorrow that there was no hope of the child living, for that morning
some natives had arrived from Funafala with the news that nearly all the
young children were dead, and those remaining were not expected to live
beyond another day or two.

After spending an hour with the teacher, and watching him distribute the
rice and biscuit among his sick and starving people, we returned to
the ship with the intention of sailing down to Funafala in the boat and
taking the natives there some provisions. The teacher thanked us warmly,
but declined to come with us, saying that he could not leave the many
for the few, "for," he added sadly, "who will read the service over
those who die? As you sail down the lagoon you will meet canoes coming
up from Funafala bringing the dead. I cannot go there to bury them."

It was nearly midnight when we put off from the schooner's side, but
with Suka as pilot we ran quickly down to the island. A few natives met
us as we stepped on shore, and to these we gave the provisions we had
brought, telling them to divide them equally. Then with Suka leading,
and carrying a ligh