Friendly, Fiji, and many other islands, ere
we once more steer north-west towards our destination. To complete our
stores, we take in a good supply of salt, to be obtained here in
abundance; and then bidding farewell to our friends the Sandwich
islanders, we make sail, and steer south.

We find a young lad, the son of a chief, who had managed to secrete
himself on board. We ask him why he has done so. He answers that he
wishes to see the great country from which we come, and promises to do
everything we require if we will let him remain. Captain Fuller
consents; but I fear sometimes that he will have a hard life of it. I
resolve, however, to protect him as far as I can. He gets the name of
Charlie, but no other.

We have sighted several low coral islands, but at length we reach the
neighbourhood of a group known as the Penrhyn Islands, about six hundred
miles due north of the Hervey group, which we also purpose to visit. We
sight a coral island, which we estimate as fifty feet high, nine or ten
miles long and five broad, with a deep lagoon in the centre. It is as
if a huge coral ring had been thrown down in the ocean. At one end
there is an opening, through which a boat can enter the lagoon. The
island is covered with groves of cocoa-nut, pandanus, and other trees;
and, from the number of huts we see, and the people moving about, it
seems to be thickly populated. While the ship is hove-to, I take charge
of a boat to carry the supercargo, and Taro, and Charlie; with six men,
on shore. We pull round, but find that there is so heavy a surf running
that we cannot land on the outside. To save time, Taro and Charlie swim
on shore to communicate with the natives. I anxiously wait off to
receive their report. After some time we see them running, pursued by
many natives. They leap into the water, and dash through the surf.
Some of the natives attempt to follow, but our shipmates distance them,
and are taken safe on board.

They say the natives, though looking very wild and fierce, were kind in
their manners, and invited them up to their houses, and brought them
food; but that they soon pressed round them, and began to strip off
their clothes, and to take possession of everything they had. Seeing
them preparing some hot stones with which to heat an oven, they believed
that they were to be cooked and eaten, and so starting up, they rushed
headlong for the shore, so completely taking their entertainers by
surpr