[Note: this transcription was produced by an automatic OCR engine]

NOUMEA AND PORT VILA 21

indicating the great barrier-reef which surrounds the
isle with an almost impenetrable belt; a few channels
only lead from the shore to the open ocean.

On the Ist of May the Pacific arrived at Nouméa,
and her departure for Vila, next day, ended a most
tiresome stay.

It Was a sad, rainy day when we left. Impatiently
the passengers waited till the freight was loaded,—
houses, iron, horses, cases of tins, etc. Of course we
were six hours late, and all the whites were angry,
while the few natives did not care, but found a dry
corner, rolled themselves up in their blankets and
dozed. When we finally left, heavy squalls were
rushing over the sea; in the darkness a fog came on,
so that we had soon to come to anchor. But next
morning we had passed the Loyalty Islands and were '
rolling in the heavy swell the south-east trade raises
on the endless surface of the Pacific.

Next day, through the light mist of a summer
morning, the forms of islands appeared, fiat, bluish-
grey lines, crowned with rounded hills. Slowly finer
points appeared, the ridge of mountains showed
details and we could recognize the tops of the
giant banyan trees, towering above the forest as a
cathedral does over the houses of a city. We saw
the surf, breaking in the coral cliffs of flat shores,
found the entrance to the Wide bay, noticed the
palms with elegantly curved trunks bending over the
beach, and unexpectedly entered the lagoon, that
Shone in the bright sun like a glittering sapphire.

We had passed the flat cliffs, covered only with