However, I was soon undeceived, and was greeted by Mr. Coates, Government Agent of the “Lord of the Isles” from Fiji. He was photographing the Falls, and the boys brought him on here. He was very amiable, and followed me on to the village. He took three views of different parts of the place, and after staying a short time returned again to the ship as night was rapidly approaching. It is so seldom that a white man ventures up here, that the sight of one is a seven days’ wonder. He came quite unarmed, and was evidently not frightened by the ferocity of our people. It is customary to look upon natives as naturally wild and ferocious, and few white men trust themselves among them without arms. However, of course we always go armed with a Power more protective than a Colt’s revolver, and we, I suppose, engender trust in the natives by trusting them. The “Lord of the Isles” is a large ship of 300 tons, and has brought over two hundred natives from Fiji as returned labour. Mr. Coates told me that the Conservative Government was in power with Lord R. Churchill as Premier, and that the English Government had sent an ultimatum to the French to withdraw their troops from the New Hebrides, or their action in sending them there would be looked upon as a breach of faith and an act of aggression. There will be troubles down here yet I fear, with all the shilly-shallying there is over the annexation of these islands. The French are evidently intending some forward step, for they have troops both in Havannah Harbour, and Port Sandwich (Mallicollo), and the Nouvelles-Hebrides Company are buying land right and left all over these islands. It would not be pleasant to find myself a prisoner in France instead of a free man in England, and I hope there may be no fear of such a criterion. Our evening duties as usual ended with singing.