In the evening, the conversation turning on boats, we did not fail to sound the praises of our little craft, that had carried us so far and so safely. The others, on the other hand, did not forget to crack up the merits of the Atafu. After a lot of bragging on both sides it was decided to settle the differences of opinion by a race between the rival vessels. We, I may say in passing, were merely chaffing, but the others were evidently in grim earnest. The race was fixed to take place in the morning at 10.30, the course from Mioko to Ralume, New Britain. The distance was 20 miles, and our vessel being only one-third the size of the Atafu, we received half an hour start. The stakes were £5 a side, but two or three private bets were made in addition. The rules to be observed during the race were taken down in writing by the manager and his assistant. One of the rules was "that no oar was to be used throughout the race."
Great interest was evinced by them in the approaching contest, and the conditions were duly signed by both parties. The captain and owners of the Atafu were quite confident of victory, and ridiculed the idea of our having the ghost of a chance. It must be recollected that our cutter was but 12 tons, and what chance would she have against one of 37 tons? We still believed it was simply chaff, and that no race was intended, but the following morning they soon disabused us of that idea. Seeing that active preparations for the match were taking place on board the Atafu, it behoved us to be on the alert. We went on board the S——l, got all the sails and sheets in good order, rigged up an awning as a square sail, set our topsail, and by a little after 10 o'clock had everything ready for a start. Now that we were in for it we determined to do our best and see if, notwithstanding our insignificant appearance, we could not lower the "Mioko" flag, and lessen their conceit.
A fresh south-easter was blowing, but happily not too strong to prevent us crowding every stitch of canvas on her. The land of New Britain was dimly visible in the distance, and a dewy freshness filled the air. Had we made it, the weather could not have been more propitious. Our British ensign was run up to the masthead, the anchor hoisted in, and precisely at 10.30 Mr. H——r, having taken up a position on the wharf, fired his revolver as a signal to be off. We were close in to the shore, and as there was no room to manœuvre, our skipper, S——g, sang out, "Get out an oar and pull the bows round."
The command was promptly executed, her head paid round, the oars were thrown down the hold, and like a greyhound from the leash she bounded forth, straining every nerve and sinew to be first in at the "death."
The Atafu, in full sail, soon appeared in sight, and great was our anxiety to discover whether she gained on us.
We held our lead, however, and at 1.30 p.m. dropped anchor off Ralume, within a few yards of a reef. We had the sails furled, the ropes coiled, and the "Billy" boiled, when the Atafu "came to" abreast of us, 35 minutes behind.
We lost no time in boarding her in order to sympathise with them in their defeat. To our surprise they would not acknowledge that they had been beaten. Upon our demanding an explanation, they stated that, in consequence of our having used an oar at the commencement of the race, we had lost. We had used the oar thoughtlessly, but, as they evidently wished to make some money out of us, we promptly paid them the stakes, which, however, they refused in the end to accept. Practically speaking, they had been beaten on their own merits, and evidently did not relish the fact. They had come specially from "Mioko" for the race, and returned home the same day, considerably crestfallen and with a higher opinion of our little craft than they had had hitherto.
"Ralume" boasts of a splendid plantation, the property of Mrs. F——h, who is one of the best business women I have ever met. She does all the correspondence, keeps the accounts, and personally superintends the work of the plantation. Of course she has a manager, and a very capable one too, but still she believes in having an eye over all. She has been established in Ralume for ten years, and during that period has worked wonders. They have 500 acres under cultivation, with any amount of back country attached. The land is undulating, and the soil, which is very rich, is cultivated right down to the sea. There is a good deal of limestone in the neighbourhood, and the appearance of the country for miles along the coast is very beautiful. The land is not rugged, like that of New Ireland, but has more the appearance of an English park.
Twenty miles from the coast there is a range of mountains, the country beyond which is supposed by the natives to be inhabited by a race of dwarfs. This, however, has been proved to be a myth. Cotton, coffee, and coco-nuts are grown extensively on the plantation. There are six cotton gins working every day, and they are worked by black labourers, imported from the South Seas. I inspected several bales of cotton which were ready for shipment. They appeared of very good quality, and the manager, Mr. P——, told me it realized from 1s. to 1s. 3d. per pound in Sydney.
There are over 150 labourers working on the plantation, most of them from the Solomon Islands and the remainder from New Ireland. Not a single native of New Britain was among the number, as they will not work except when away from their own country.