nesians of this
part of the Pacific. Then he told us that his womenfolk were preparing
us a meal which would soon be ready. I asked him gravely (through the
interpreter) not to serve us any human flesh. He replied quite calmly
that there was none left--the last had been eaten five days before.

Presently the meal was carried in--baked pork, an immense fish of the
mullet kind, yams, taro, and an enormous quantity of sugar-cane and
pineapples. The women did not eat with us, but sat apart. Our friend,
whose name was Darro, had six wives, four of whom were present He had
also a number of female slaves, taken from an island in Vitiaz Straits.
These were rather light-skinned, and some quite good-looking, and all
wore girdles of dracaena leaves. Neither Darro nor his people smoked,
though they knew the use of pipe and tobacco, and at one time had been
given both by a sandal-wooding ship. I promised to give them a present
of a ten pound case of plug tobacco, and a gross of clay pipes--I was
thinking of "recruits". I sent off to the brig for the present, and when
it arrived, and I had given nearly one hundred and fifty cannibals a
pipe and a plug of tobacco each, the interpreter and I got to work on
Darro on the subject of our mission.

Alas! He would not entertain the idea of any of his fighting men going
to an unknown land for three years. We could have perhaps a score or so
of women--widows or slaves. Would that suit us? No, I said. We did not
want single women or widows. There must be a man to each woman.

Darro was "very sorry" (so was I). But perhaps I and the captain would
accept two of the youngest of his female slaves as a token of his regard
for us?

Morel and I consulted, and then we asked Darro if he could not give us
two slave couples--two men and two women who would be willing to marry,
and also willing to go to a country and work, a country where they would
be well treated, and paid for their labour. And at the end of three
years they would be brought back to Darro, if they so desired.

Darro smiled and gave some orders, and two strapping young men and two
pleasant-faced young women were brought for my inspection. All were
smiling, and I felt that a bishop and a brass band or surpliced
choristers ought to have been present.

These were the only "blackbirds" we secured on that voyage from Rook
Island; but three and a half years later, when these two couples
returned to Darro, with a "vast" wealth of trade goo