house of some of the families with whom I was on intimate terms.
One day I went at an early hour to one of my favourite islets to pass a few hours under the thick shade of the palms. As usual I scanned the horizon carefully on first emerging from the water. My heart beat wildly with excitement when I detected a small speck far away to the south-west which I was sure could be nothing but the masts of a distant vessel. I eagerly climbed one of the tallest trees, and then I could make out a three-masted vessel with all sails spread, evidently bearing down towards our islands. I rapidly descended, plunged into the lagoon, and hastened to inform my friends of what I had seen. A party of my young companions was soon collected, who cheerfully consented to accompany me out into the ocean in order to assist me in getting on board the strange vessel. Taking a hurried leave of some of the chief families who had been so kind to me during my stay among them, we armed ourselves with our shark-spears and sallied forth into the ocean to meet the advancing ship. We swam near the surface of the water, every now and then rising to the top to see that we were travelling in the right direction. The breeze was so slight that the ship advanced but slowly. Its course was evidently not intended to bring it on to the reef, but would lead it past the group of islands at some miles from the reef. So we directed our course with the view of intercepting it when it should arrive at the neatest point of the archipelago. We had calculated our line of approach so well, that the ship bore down right towards us. As she advanced I could see that she
