ing me
forcibly of the departure of Paul the apostle from Miletus. It was a
deeply interesting sight. In the centre was the venerable missionary
with his silvery hair, his daughter kneeling by his side, while around
were the king and other chiefs and people, with many women and children.
My men without my orders lay on their oars till the prayers had ceased.
We then pulled in, and my friends embarked, when the natives burst
forth into a hymn, and as we rowed away from the land, we continued to
hear it still growing fainter and fainter, till the sound was lost in
the increasing distance. We then set our sails and glided swiftly and
pleasantly over the sparkling waters. I felt very happy. I would not
think of the separation to take place, and determined to enjoy the
society of my friends to the utmost. This, perhaps, prevented me from
observing as carefully as I might have done the signs of a change in the
weather. I believe, however, that Mr Bent, who had more experience as
a seaman in this ocean than I possessed, had perceived but he said
nothing. The wind suddenly dropped, then it sprung up again, then once
more dropped, and the boat scarcely moved through the water. At last it
fell altogether, and the sun's rays struck down with intense violence.
My men, however, willingly took to the oars, and we proceeded slowly on
our course. Still the island was far away, and I lost all hopes of
reaching it before dark, though I could not persuade myself that there
was any danger to be apprehended. Mr Bent, however, more than once
cast a look round the horizon, anxious more on his daughter's account
than his own. We had lowered the sail, for it was useless keeping it
set. Suddenly Mr Bent exclaimed, "Here it comes, round with her head,
David." I looked up, and saw a foam-covered sea rolling towards us. I
placed the boat's head so as to receive it, while the men pulled on
steadily as before. The question was whether they would be able to
continue so doing. The gale was coming from the west, and should it
blow with the same fury for any length of time, we might be driven far
away to the east without falling in with any land where shelter could be
found. I was thankful that my friends were not on board a native canoe.
It would have fared much worse with them. We had the means of finding
our way, and might beat back when the weather moderated. Mary behaved
with beautiful composure when the sea came seething and hissi