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

RECRUITING FOR NATIVES 59

{or answer he generally wrapped himself in his
blankets and fell asleep. The consequence was that
each of us lived his own life, and the companionship
which might have made up for many insufficiencies on
board was lacking entirely.

It Was the first sunny day after many rainy ones
when the current carried us through the channel.
When we got on too slowly the oars had to help.
After several hours we arrived in the open, and a
fresh breeze carried us quickly alongside the small
islands of Aore, Tutuba and Malo. Blue, white-
crested waves lifted us up so high that we could look
far over the foaming sea, and again we sank down in
a valley, out of which we could only see the nearest
waves rolling threateningly towards us. Behind us
the little dinghy shot down the swells, gliding on
the water like a duck. In the late afternoon we
approached the north point of Malekula, and followed
the west coast southward, towards the country of the
“Big Nambas”—our destination. Contrasting with
other islands of the archipelago, Malekula does not
seem densely covered with vegetation at this point.
We do not see much of the impenetrable bush, but
rather a scanty growth of grass on the coral reefs, a
few shrubs'and she—oaks, then a narrow belt of forest
covering the steep cliffs and sides of the hills, on
whose backs we find extensive areas covered with
reed-grass. Even a luxuriant forest does not look
gay on a dull day, and this barren landscape looked
most inhospitable in the grey mist of the afternoon.
We slowly followed a coast of ragged coral patches,