an beat, and when their wings are
spread out and they are flying through the air or dancing on the tips of
the trees, they look as if they could scarcely belong to this earth.
They are called Birds of Paradise. To my mind the name is a very proper
one, though strange to say the people who live in the country where they
are found, are as perfect savages as any in the world--black-skinned
fellows with the hair of their heads frizzled out, and scarcely a rag of
clothing on. I had once the misfortune to be wrecked on their shore,
and it's a wonder to me that I got away with my life, for they generally
kill all strangers who fall into their hands; yet savage as most of them
are, they are not all alike.

"The ship I was on board, was sailing along the coast of New Guinea,
when she was caught in one of the hurricanes which sometimes blow in
those seas. Away she flew before the fierce winds, the waves hissing
and leaping up on either side of her, and threatening to break on board
and send her to the bottom. The captain did his best, and so did every
man belonging to her, but after we had shortened sail, and sent down our
loftier spars and secured the remaining ones, there was nothing more we
could do. All we could hope for was that the hurricane would abate
before we neared the shore.

"That night was indeed a terrible one, few of us ever expected to live
through it.

"When daylight broke the shore was seen not a league off, with lofty
mountains rising in the distance. Still the hurricane continued, the
ship drove on, and no break could be discovered in the long line of wild
surf which burst on the shore. As there were many coral reefs running
along the whole coast, we expected every moment that the ship would
strike, and we knew that the fierce waves which would dash against her
would soon knock her to pieces.

"A boat could scarcely live in such a sea, still less get through the
foaming surf. Most of the men however, had put on their best clothes
and filled their pockets with whatever they most valued, hoping somehow
or other to get safe to land. I thought to myself, it matters little
what I have on, and I would not weight my pockets with what would send
me to the bottom, so I continued in my trousers and shirt and jacket,
intending to throw off the last should I have to swim for my life.

"The awful moment we were expecting came, and the ship with a tremendous
crash, was sent right against a reef of coral rocks