VOYAGE TO THE
CH A P
IV.
Dec.
IS2.Í.
themselves with us that we felt the greatest desire to visit their
houses; and rather than pass another night at sea we put off in the
boats, though at a considerable distance from the land, and accompanied
them to the shore. YVe followed our guides past a rugged
point surmounted by tall spiral rocks, known to the islanders as St.
Paul’s rocks, into a spacious iron-bound bay, where the Bounty found
her last anchorage. In this bay, which is bounded by lofty cliffs almost
inaccessible, it was proposed to land. Thickly branched evergreens
skirt the base ofthese hills, and in summer afford a welcome retreat
from the rays of an almost vertical sun. In the distance are seen several
high pointed rocks which the pious islanders have named after the most
zealous of the Apostles, and outside of them is a square basaltic islet.
Formidable breakers fringe the coast, and seem to present an
insurmountable barrier to all access. YY"e here brought our boats to
an anchor, in consequence of the passage between the sunken rocks
being much too intricate, and we trusted ourselves to the natives,
who landed us, tw'o at a time, in their whale-boat. The difficulty of
landing w'as more than repaid by the friendly reception we met with
on the beach from Hannah Young, a very interesting young woman,
the daughter of Adams. In her eagerness to greet her father, she had
outrun her female companions, for whose delay she thought it necessary
in the first place to apologize, by saying they had all been over
the hill in company with John Buffet to look at the ship, and were
not yet returned. It appeared that John Buffet, who was a seafaring
man, ascertained that the ship was a man of war, and without knowing
exactly why, became so alarmed for the safety of iYdams that he either
could not or would not answer any of the interrogations which were
put to him. This mysterious silence set all the party in tears, as they
feared he had discovered something adverse to their patriarch. At
length his obduracy yielded to their entreaties; but before he explained
the cause of his conduct, the boats were seen to put off from the ship,
and Hannah immediately hurried to the beach to kiss the old man’s
cheek, which she did with a fervency demonstrative of the w'armest
affection. Her apology for her companions was rendered unnecessary
by their appearance on the steep and circuitous path down the moun