ll-wooded promontory to prepare a store of wood. Wood chopping is not
usually looked upon as a sailor's pastime; but we had had considerable
experience during the voyage, as a result of which most of us could
swing an axe in fine style. But the Kanakas beat us all hollow.
Delighted to get ashore again, pleased with the fine axes as children
with new toys, they laid about them in grand style, the young trees
falling right and left in scores. Anybody would have judged that we were
working piece-work, at so much a cord, the pile grew so fast. There
was such a quantity collected that, instead of lightering it off in the
boats, which is very rough and dirty usage for them, I constructed a
sort of raft with four large spars arranged in the form of an oblong,
placing an immense quantity of the smaller stuff in between. Upright
sticks were rudely lashed here and there, to keep the pile from bobbing
out underneath, and thus loaded we proceeded slowly to the ship with
sufficient wood for our wants brought in one journey. It was immediately
hoisted on board, sawn into convenient lengths, and stowed away, the
whole operation being completed, of getting between eight and ten tons
of firewood cut, ferried, and stowed, in less than eight hours.

Next day was devoted to watering; but as I have elsewhere described that
necessary if prosaic occupation, I will not repeat the story. Sufficient
to say that the job was successfully "did" in the course of the day.

All the work being accomplished for which we had come, it only remained
to give the crew "liberty." So the port watch, in their best (?) rig,
were mustered aft; each man received ten shillings, and away they went
in glee for the first genuine day's liberty since leaving Honolulu. For
although they had been much ashore in Vau Vau, that was not looked upon
in the same light as a day's freedom in a town where liquor might
be procured, and the questionable privilege of getting drunk taken
advantage of. Envious eyes watched their progress from the other ships,
but, much to my secret satisfaction, none of their crews were allowed
ashore at the same time. There were quite sufficient possibilities of
a row among our own crowd, without farther complications such as would
almost certainly have occurred had the strangers been let loose at
the same time. Unfortunately, to the ordinary sailor-man, the place
presented no other forms of amusement besides drinking, and I was
grieved to see almost