We were going off for one of the Governor’s pleasant little picnics along the coast, but somehow one of the boats was not forthcoming, so, as I had always been anxious to go in a native canoe, it was agreed that I should go with Mr Gordon, Mr Maudslay, and Captain Havelock, and four Fijians, in the canoe which carried the luncheon. A canoe is built on the principle of having an outrigger alongside to balance her. When the big mat-sail is up, she runs like the wind; but, of course, every small ripple that breaks over the bow pours into her hold, so that a man has to stand astern bailing incessantly, which he generally does by kicking out the water with his foot. Some of the large canoes belonging to the chiefs are quite beautiful; but, as luck would have it, the luncheon-boat on this occasion was a very bad one, and unusually small, so that really we perhaps overweighted her. However, what happened was, that, as we were running full speed, a strong puff of wind caught us, twisted the sail, and ran her head under water. Of course she immediately filled, and apparently about thirty seconds might elapse before we foundered. The gentlemen instinctively tightened their girths to be ready for a swim, when happily the presence of mind of the Fijians in jumping overboard, and the sudden righting of the sail, changed the state of affairs, and after a deal of hard bailing our position became somewhat more satisfactory. The men rigged up a humble little sail, with which we sped onward at a much less exciting, but, under the circumstances, a good deal surer rate, and reached our destination in capital time for luncheon. Our halt this time was under one specially grand old tree close to the shore (white sand and large trees are both sufficiently rare to make them noteworthy on this isle of Ovalau). Of course, in coming home, room was made for me in the big boat, and the gentlemen agreed to walk home—rather a stretch for Mr Gordon, who, as I told you in my last, has had a very sharp attack of fever and neuralgia, and was still rather low when we came out. However, he seemed quite brightened up by the day’s exertions, and has now gone off with Mr Carew to the very wildest mountain district in all Fiji, where the cannibal and disaffected tribes live. Baron A. von Hügel went there some time ago to study the natives in their wild state, and try to buy some good specimens of their work. Of course these districts are the place of all others to collect curiosities. I don’t mean that this is Mr Gordon’s reason for going there. Sir Arthur is going very soon, and it is well to make straight his path. As concerns the boat incident, you may make your mind quite easy about its not happening again; for all the gentlemen are naturally in mortal fear of swimming in a sea swarming with sharks, and they’ll take good care not to incur such a double risk as having to look after me at the same time![15]