eapons freely upon the slightest provocation. It was
dusk when we arrived and let go our anchor under the lee of the island,
and by the skipper's order the sails were merely hauled down or brailed
up, as the case might be, all ready for setting again at a moment's
notice, while the twenty-five fathom shackle of the cable was kept just
inside the hawse pipe, with the pin loosened and ready to be knocked out
instantly, in case it should become necessary to slip.

The anchor had scarcely splashed into the placid waters of the bay when,
as in the case of most of the other islands visited, the schooner was
surrounded by a round dozen or more canoes, manned by from two to five
men, all anxious to be allowed to come alongside and barter the fruit or
fish which they had brought off from the shore. They appeared to be
fine stalwart fellows, and were unarmed, so far as we could see; but the
skipper would not allow any of them to come alongside that night, and
they returned good-humouredly enough to the shore after they had
received permission to come off again the next morning. A strict anchor
watch was maintained that night, but no canoes came near us, nor did
anything occur to lead us to suppose that the natives meditated
treachery toward us.

When they again came off at daylight on the following morning, although
there were something like thirty canoes surrounding the schooner, each
manned, as before, by from two to five men, they made no attempt to
force their way alongside, but lay off at a distance of two or three
fathoms, the men holding up their wares for our inspection and shouting
their merits in that singular "pidgin" which passes for English among
the Polynesians. And when at length Brown selected a particular canoe,
the assortment of fruit in which appeared to be of a temptingly varied
character, and ordered her owner to come alongside, the rest, instead of
exhibiting anger or jealousy, simply pelted the fortunate competitor
with good-natured chaff, and, taking to their paddles, headed for the
shore, well knowing that the crew of so small a craft as the _Martha
Brown_ would have no custom to spare for more than one well-laden canoe.
And even when the selected canoe came alongside, only two out of her
crew of four offered to board us, the other two remaining in the canoe
to pass up, as ordered by the owner, the various commodities which he
had for sale. These commodities, by the way, consisted of fruits of
vario