ly and had to be put on the beach
as quickly as possible whilst we had fine weather. This, with the
assistance of the natives, we at once set about and in the course of
a few days had effected all the necessary repairs, and then steered
westward for Admiralty Island, calling at various islands on our way,
trading with the wild natives for coco-nut oil, copra, ivory nuts,
pearl-shell and tortoise-shell, and doing very poorly; for a large
American schooner, engaged in the same business, had been ahead of us,
and at most of the islands we touched at we secured nothing more than
a few hundredweight of black-edged pearl-shell. Then, to add to our
troubles, two of our native crew were badly wounded in an attack made on
a boat's crew who were sent on shore to cut firewood on what the skipper
and I thought to be a chain of small uninhabited islands. This was a
rather serious matter, for not only were the captain and boatswain ill
with fever, but three of the crew as well.

For a week we worked along the southern coast of Admiralty Island,
calling at a number of villages and obtaining a considerable quantity of
very good pearl-shell from the natives. But it was a harassing time, for
having seven sick men on board we never dared to come to an anchor for
fear of the savage and treacherous natives attempting to capture the
ship. As it was, we had to keep a sharp look-out to prevent more than
two canoes coming alongside at once, and then only when there was a fair
breeze, so that we could shake them off if their occupants showed any
inclination for mischief. We several times heard some of these gentry
commenting on the ship being so short-handed, and this made us unusually
careful, for although those of us who were well never moved about
unarmed we could not have beaten back a sudden rush.

At last, however, both Manson and the boatswain, and one of the native
sailors became so ill that the former decided to make a break in the
cruise and let all hands--sick and well--have a week's spell at a place
he knew of, situated at the west end of the great island; and so one day
we sailed the _Metaris_ into a quiet little bay, encompassed by lofty
well-wooded hills, and at the head of which was a fine stream of fresh
water.

"We shall soon pull ourselves together in this place," said Manson to
Loring (the mate) and me. "I know this little bay well, though 'tis six
years since I was last here. There are no native villages within ten
miles