lf as an opening fully
sixteen hundred feet wide, and a minute later we surged into it on the
back of a swell which crashed down upon the reef to right and left of us
with a roar that made one's very ears tingle, while the spray, snow-
white, and sparkling in the dazzling sunshine like countless millions of
diamonds, leapt into the air as high as our maintop, to fall, a cable's
length to leeward, in a glittering shower upon the seething turmoil of
lace-like foam that swirled hither and thither above the reef.

Five minutes sufficed us to accomplish the passage through the reef,
when we found ourselves gliding gently forward upon the placid surface
of the lagoon, which formed a magnificent crescent-shaped, natural
harbour, some ten miles long by about two and a half miles wide at its
widest part, tapering away to nothing at its northern and southern
extremities, where the barrier and fringing reefs united. The floor of
this lagoon, as I could distinctly see from my elevated post of
observation, was composed of fine white coral sand, with no sign of rock
or any other obstruction upon it so far as my sight could reach. We of
course had a leadsman in the chains taking continual casts of the lead
as we proceeded, and from these it appeared that the depth of water in
the lagoon, close up against the inner face of the reef, amounted to
seven and a half fathoms, shoaling very gradually and regularly as we
neared the island, the exceeding beauty of which evoked a continuous
chorus of admiration from the delighted emigrants as its many
attractions unfolded themselves at our approach.

Upon clearing the passage through the reef I had shouted instructions
down to the man at the wheel to haul up a couple of points to the
northward, which had brought our jibboom-end pointing fair between the
two headlands opening into the indentation which I have termed Polson's
harbour, and I now judged, from what I could see, to be of quite
respectable extent. I had no intention, however, of attempting to take
the ship into it without first subjecting it to something in the nature
of a preliminary examination. I therefore now called to them on deck to
stand by to let go the anchor, to which Polson responded that they were
all ready for letting go.

"Stand by to let run your topsail halyards!" was the next order, which
was obeyed with a rush as of a parcel of schoolboys eagerly anticipating
a holiday. I allowed the ship to drive ahead a littl