of the
island. Seeing us prepare to depart, the people on shore immediately
launched a tiny canoe, with an enormous outrigger, and a man dressed
in a pale green shirt, dark blue and yellow under garment, and with a
silk handkerchief and garland on his head, came alongside and made
signs that he would take us ashore one by one in his frail-looking
craft. But the heavy Pacific rollers and the sharp rocks daunted us,
and we declined his offer with thanks, and rowed off to the southward.
Anything more enticing than the cove we were quitting can hardly be
imagined. A fringe of cocoa-nuts and bread-fruit trees, overhanging an
undergrowth of bright glossy foliage and flowers, a few half-hidden
palm-leaf covered huts, from one of which--I suppose the chief's--a
tattered Tahitian flag floated in the breeze, a small schooner drawn
up among the trees and carefully covered with mats, the steep
sugar-loaf point, at the entrance to the cove, clothed to its summit
with grass and vegetation: these were the objects which attracted our
attention in our hurried survey of the scene.

[Illustration: Our Boatman]

We had to give the island a wide berth in rowing round it, on account
of the heavy rollers, which seemed to come from every side, breaking
in surf against the dark brown cliffs, and throwing columns of white
spray, from which the brilliant sunshine was reflected in rainbow
hues, high into the air. As we proceeded matters looked worse and
worse, and the motion of the boat became so disagreeable that both
Muriel and I were very ill. At last we came to a spot where we could
see some people sitting on the shore, and several others, who had
probably come over from the other side to meet us, running swiftly
down the sides of the cliffs to the beach. The island was of a
different character from the one we had already visited, and was
evidently of volcanic origin. No coral was anywhere to be seen, but
there were big rocks jutting out at intervals into the sea all round
it, one of which seemed large enough to afford us a sort of shelter in
landing. The natives waved and pointed towards the channel beyond this
rock, and one or two swam out to meet us; but we soon found that the
channel would not be wide enough to admit our big boat, though it was
no doubt sufficient for a light canoe, drawing some two inches of
water. We therefore reluctantly turned away and resumed our uneasy
coasting voyage, in the course of which we passed some nearly l