d discover no sign or trace
of human beings. There were open patches of delicious greensward here
and there visible among the clumps of trees, but no suggestion of
cultivation; there were no canoes on the beach--indeed I greatly doubted
whether it would have been possible for canoes to pass through the line
of surf that boiled and swirled all along the edge of the reef, even on
the lee side of the island--nor could I detect any feather of smoke
rising among the trees, or other sign of human occupancy, although we
were now so close to the land, and the evening light smote upon it so
strongly, that had there been any natives moving about on the beach or
in the nearer open spaces, I could scarcely have failed to see them.

The ship, now under the lee of the island, and moreover under short
canvas, did little more than barely drift to the northward, along the
western edge of the reef, and long before we arrived off the north-
western extremity of the island the sun had set, and it had become too
dark for me to complete my survey of this lonely but lovely spot; yet I
had seen enough to assure me that there was only one place along that
lee side at which it would be possible for the ship to anchor. Even
there, although the place in question took the form of a bay, I did not
altogether like the look of it; for nearly half its area consisted of
fringing reef, upon which, if a ship were to drive ashore during a
sudden shift of wind, she would infallibly go to pieces in a few
minutes. It might possibly be made to do, failing a better place, by
riding with both anchors down; but I determined to have a look at
Polson's cove round on the weather side of the island, under the shelter
of the natural breakwater formed by the barrier reef, before risking the
ship by taking her into such an unsatisfactory anchorage.

The second dogwatch had passed before we drew out clear of the island,
and once more felt the full strength of the breeze, whereupon I gave
instructions for the ship to be kept "full and by" on the starboard tack
until four bells in the middle watch, when the officer of the watch was
to wear ship and come to the wind on the port tack, heading to the
southward for the island again, the weather side of which I considered
we ought to fetch by daylight, in good time to allow of our passing
through the reef and coming to an anchor about breakfast-time.

The first rays of the morning sun were flashing off the placidly heaving