sfortunes in sleep. About midnight those who had watched took their
turn at resting; and in the morning we found ourselves considerably
refreshed; though an increased activity of our minds served only to
bring home a more vivid picture of the horrors of the previous night,
and of our present condition.

Providence, it would seem, had ordained that we should not long remain
undetermined as to the course to be adopted; for before sunrise we
discovered a canoe within a short distance of us, containing twenty-two
of the inhabitants of the neighboring island. They approached to within
pistol-shot of where we stood, and there lay on their oars for some
time, looking at us, and manifesting no small degree of fear. Thinking
it best to be on friendly terms with them, we attached a shirt to one of
our oars, and hoisted it as a token of a wish, on our part, to regard
and treat them as friends. This had the desired effect; and they
immediately rowed up to the rock. Manifesting great pleasure, they left
their canoe and rushed towards the place where the principal part of our
boat's crew were standing, bringing with them cocoa-nuts, and a small
quantity of bread made of the cocoa-nut boiled in a liquor extracted
from the trunk of the tree. At that time, I was standing near the tent,
at a little distance from my companions, and was an anxious spectator of
the scene. Their appearance excited my astonishment, and I was filled
with horror by the sight of beings apparently human, and yet almost
destitute of the ordinary marks of humanity. They were entirely naked.
Each one was armed with a spear and tomahawk; some had battle-axes. They
were fantastically tattooed on different parts of their bodies. Their
hair, naturally coarse and black, like that of the Indians of America,
was very long, and hung loosely over their shoulders, giving them a
singular and frightful appearance. Their teeth were entirely black;
rendered so, as we afterwards found, by chewing what they call
"_abooak_."[1] The reader can judge of our feelings on finding ourselves
in the hands of beings of this description. Our confidence in the
honesty of our visiters did not improve on further acquaintance.

No sooner had they landed, than they commenced their depredations upon
the few articles, which at that time constituted all our earthly riches.
The nautical instruments, the musket, and a part of our clothing, they
immediately appropriated to their own benefit. Fortunately