stoval, visiting nearly every village from Cape
Recherche to Cape Surville. This took nearly three weeks, the ship
following the boats along the coast. We would leave the ship at
daylight, and pull in shore, landing wherever we saw a smoke signal, or
a village. When I had engaged, say, half a dozen recruits, I would send
them off on board, and continue on my way. At sunset I would return on
board, the boats would be hoisted up, and the ship either anchor, or
heave-to for the night. On this particular trip the boats were only
twice fired at, but no one man of my crews was hit.

The boats are known as "landing" and "covering" boats. The former is in
command of an officer and the recruiter, carries five hands (all armed)
and also the boxes of "trade" goods to be exhibited to the natives as
specimens of the rest of the goods on board, or perhaps some will be
immediately handed over as an "advance" to any native willing to
recruit as a labourer in Queensland or elsewhere for three years, at the
magnificent wage of six pounds per annum, generally paid in rubbishing
articles, worth about thirty shillings.

The "covering" boat is in charge of an officer, or reliable seaman. She
follows the "landing" boat at a short distance, and her duty is to cover
her retreat if the natives should attack the landing boat by at once
opening fire, and giving those in that boat a chance of pushing off
and getting out of danger, and also she sometimes receives on board the
"recruits" as they are engaged by the recruiter--if the latter has not
been knocked on the head or speared.

On nearing the beach, where the natives are waiting, the officer in the
landing-boat swings her round with his steer oar, and the crew back her
in, stern first, on to the beach. The recruiter then steps out, and the
crew carry the trade chests on shore; then the boat pushes off a
little, just enough to keep afloat, and obtrusive natives, who may mean
treachery, are not allowed to come too near the oars, or take hold of
the gunwale, Meanwhile the covering boat has drawn in close to the first
boat, and the crew, with their hands on their rifles, keep a keen watch
on the landing boat and the wretched recruiter.

The recruiter, if he is a wise man, will not display any arms openly. To
do so makes the savage natives either sulky or afraid, and I never let
them see mine, which I, however, always kept handy in a harmless-looking
canvas bag, which also contained some tobacco,