t was remarked that Wilde had most scrupulously refrained from
obtruding his presence on deck during our little brush with the junks,
which exhibition of pusillanimity on the part of a man who aspired to
the position of head and leader of the little community provoked a great
deal of adverse criticism, and considerably reduced his influence and
popularity.

On the fourth day following the above incident, with the appearance of
dawn, we sighted land ahead, which, as we drew nearer, resolved itself
into three islands lying close together, the largest of which measured
about eight miles long by three miles wide, while the remaining two were
roughly circular in shape, measuring about a mile in diameter. The two
smaller islands presented the appearance of low pyramids with rounded
tops, their highest points rising some eight hundred feet above the sea
level, while the biggest of the three rose somewhat abruptly from the
water to a height of about fifteen hundred feet at each extremity, and
preserved that height pretty uniformly from end to end, but with an
elevation rising perhaps three hundred feet higher almost in the middle
of its length.

All three of the islands were well wooded; but the largest had been
cleared to some extent of its timber, the cleared ground bearing
evidences of being under cultivation. This, of course, indicated that
at least the largest of the islands was already inhabited, and was
therefore unsuited to the requirements of Wilde and his followers, who
wanted to find a spot where they would be reasonably free from all risk
of molestation by hostile natives. Nevertheless, it was decided to
approach the islands a little nearer, if only for the chance of being
able to procure some fruit and a few fresh vegetables, for which all
hands were by this time pining. However, since we knew nothing of the
character of the inhabitants, but were under a sort of general
impression that the natives of all the islands of the Eastern seas were
of a more or less treacherous character, while some at least of them
were very strongly suspected of cannibalistic tendencies, we determined
to adopt every possible precaution. The muskets were accordingly
brought on deck and loaded, while every man who had not a musket served
out to him took care to provide himself with a weapon of some sort, even
though it were no more formidable than a belaying pin. I also insisted
that the ship should be kept under way, in order that,