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

198 WITH NATIVES IN THE WESTERN PACIFIC

witchcraft, and the natives will build another house of
their own accord rather than go on living in one they
consider haunted. If a planter loses many hands by
death, his plantation gets a bad reputation, and the
natives refuse to work there; so that it is to the
planter’s advantage to take some care of their
labourers, and they do so to a certain extent, whereas
in former years the mortality on French planta-
tions was very high, as much as 44 per cent. per
annum.

Sometimes, especially on moonlight nights, the
boys wish to dance, and they all go to the beach and
spend the whole night singing and dancing. Another
amusement is hunting for crayfish on the reef at low
tide.

My boys’ term of service was over in a month.
They were very much afraid of being taken to another
island, which was natural in a way, as a savage is
really not as safe in a strange place as a white man.
Besides, they had had their desire and had seen
Nouméa, so that there was no longer any inducement
for them to stay with me. They accordingly became
most disagreeable, slow, sulky and sleepier than ever,
and as I could not be punishing them all daylong,
life with them became somewhat trying. It is dis-
appointing to find so little gratitude, but the natives
are quite unaccustomed to be treated better by a white
man than his interest demands, so that they suspect
a trap in every act of kindness. Under the circum-
stances, I thought it best to dismiss my boys, and,
finding little of interest in Epi, the natives having