ind of
article most desired in exchange, a whole basket of assorted fruit, as
heavy as one man could conveniently lift, being freely parted with for a
hank containing five strings of ordinary glass beads which, at home,
would cost about a penny. Next to beads, copper wire appeared to be the
most prized commodity, nails coming next, such a basket of fruit as I
have just described, or half a dozen fowls, costing twenty two-inch
nails; while a dozen baskets of fruit were eagerly offered for a single
six-inch spike. Fish-hooks, too, commanded good prices, that is to say,
two baskets of fruit, or one dozen fowls, sold for a single hook. Fish,
of which several basketfuls were brought off, were to be had almost for
the asking, a basket containing about fifty pounds weight of delicious
fresh fish being gladly given in exchange for a single ordinary pin! At
such prices as these the crew and emigrants would willingly have taken
as much as the natives had for sale, if I would have allowed it; but I
was afraid to let them have too much fresh fruit all at once, lest they
should make themselves ill; but we took every fowl that we could get
hold of, killing enough to serve all hands for dinner that day, and
putting the rest into the coops, which had by this time become almost
empty.

It took us nearly two hours to complete our purchases, for I would not
allow more than four canoes alongside at the same moment; and when we
had acquired as much produce as I thought it prudent to lay in at one
time, the mainyard was swung, the fore and main tacks boarded, and we
resumed our voyage, parting from the natives with mutual smiles and upon
the best of terms. I was very much gratified at this first experience
of intercourse with the Pacific islanders, for it seemed to me that it
would be impossible to find a more quiet, amiable, peace-loving race of
people on the face of the earth. I made the mistake of judging the
whole by a very few, and set down the stories I had heard of treachery,
cruelty, and blood-curdling tragedy as malicious fables. I was speedily
disillusioned, however; for a week later we reached the Caroline
Islands; and while we found some of these islanders as friendly disposed
as those above-mentioned, there were others who did their utmost to
entice us to land and place ourselves within their power, and on one
occasion, when they failed in this, produced hidden weapons and
resolutely attacked the ship, giving us all that