Fe’efe’e，beingacreatureofmarshesandthesequelofmalarialfever，isnotoriginalinatolls。OnthesingleisleofMakatea，wherethelagoonisnowamarsh，thediseasehasmadeahome。Manysuffer；theyareexcludedifMr。Wilmotberightfrommuchofthecomfortofsociety；anditisbelievedtheytakeasecretvengeance。Thedefectionsofthesickareconsideredhighlypoisonous。Earlyinthemorning，itisnarrated，agedandmaliciouspersonscreepintothesleepingvillage，andstealthilymakewateratthedoorsofthehousesofyoungmen。Thustheypropagatedisease；thustheybreatheonandobliteratecomelinessandhealth，theobjectsoftheirenvy。Whetherhorridfactormoreabominablelegend，itequallydepictsthatsomethingbitterandenergeticwhichdistinguishesPaumotuanman。
Thearchipelagoisdividedbetweentwomainreligions，CatholicandMormon。Theyfronteachotherproudlywithafalseairofpermanence；yetarebutshapes，theirmembershipinaperpetualflux。TheMormonattendsmasswithdevotion：theCatholicsitsattentiveataMormonsermon，andto-morroweachmayhavetransferredallegiance。OnemanhadbeenapillaroftheChurchofRomeforfifteenyears；hiswifedying，hedecidedthatmustbeapoorreligionthatcouldnotsaveamanhiswife，andturnedMormon。Accordingtooneinformant，Catholicismwasthemorefashionableinhealth，butontheapproachofsicknessitwasjudgedprudenttosecede。AsaMormon，therewerefivechancesoutofsixyoumightrecover；asaCatholic，yourhopesweresmall；andthisopinionisperhapsfoundedonthecomfortableriteofunction。
WeallknowwhatCatholicsare，whetherinthePaumotusorathome。
ButthePaumotuanMormonseemedaphenomenonapart。Hemarriesbuttheonewife，usestheProtestantBible，observesProtestantformsofworship，forbidstheuseofliquorandtobacco，practisesadultbaptismbyimmersion，andaftereverypublicsin，rechristensthebackslider。IadvisedwithMahinui，whomIfoundwellinformedinthehistoryoftheAmericanMormons，andhedeclaredagainsttheleastconnection。’POURMOI，’saidhe，withafinecharity，’LES
MORMONSICIUNPETITCATHOLIQUES。’SomemonthslaterIhadanopportunitytoconsultanorthodoxfellow-countryman，anolddissentingHighlander，longsettledinTahiti，butstillbreathingoftheheatherofTiree。’WhydotheycallthemselvesMormons?’I