0797-
being wet and cold, the wind y fl^ in g lbrougb -.their thin clothing*
Buft to,©«? grnafcjo^, tbey were fcarcely gone,wheat, ai.it irtter-»
vals became fmooth j oiie xi^an got off ;to. the llage, and was hauled
to th e boat. We inflantly called them to us-,; and byi^hbracing every
opportunity, fwimming to .the Rage one by one, we at ;lengt}vg©t.all
fafe off. On t r y i n g h a u l the grapnel up, we found it had fallen
into the htdlows o f the cnra|FfQ c ^ which: obliged ns to.cut th^r^pe
and leave i t behind. . Thefe; hollows add greatly to, the danger (Of
fwimming o ff to the boats, for if thefeaforcesup'or retires fuddenly,
there is a rilk o f felling inm.thefoaud being Mdupdekigfjg^ftakea
of the .-rock* Tfe-dl^dtOf this* ©ud'^ dipwmog iu*thn fpi|£, bffr. |
nifhed from our thoughts the fharks which fwam thkk#hpwt'; the
place. We now rowed, towards the Blip, which had drifted, about
four miles t© feewaad. The oaptaan was over^yedrioid^s&j«$^as -were
all the crew. The boat was hoifted in, and we made fail, fu-}lf'- .cfe:
termined never again to venture a landing upon oae*of thgfeiosy
half-drowned iflands, except obliged thereto fey w^tt or Ofhensittlf
lute neceflity.
This received the game o f Serlds ifta-nd, ,m^>c£^plinaentif@i# giHr
tleman o f that name now in^the Traitfpontf^^feBj ' .an d '^ ^ h o if^
House. Solitarfee and other yaluabte - works. The Jatih^e -©f
is i 8° i 8/ S . long, Itii^m lengthfrom S .
or eight nodes,, and, in breadth foiiif «r -five; j"-it has a lagoon-«ipjthe
middle, where we ohferved feveral hnall «©cks abovewater. The
reef without and the lagoon within .abound -with fiflr, feveral o f
which Were o f the moft richlyvaried and beautiful-colours that can
be conceived. As Mr. Robfon wa lk cdb y .the fide of-the lagoon ?in
the . night, he obferved thoufands of- young fharks fwimming clofe
to the fhore. 'Mullet are' very plentiful, and when low water left
part o f the reef dry, feveral fpofted eels iffued from holes, and on our
approach reared upon their tails, attempting to defend themfelves with
open mouth. - T he birds, were the fame as at the-.other .low iflands ■$
and hefides there was here a bird about the lize and colour o f a lark,
w h js& '.w „h # -s?* we
whiffl# life® ^ d eguj^l--^0 a : by tljeir Wfions BP^es»
th^e-'jwai SSa-fejtfe fuppo^ ^ l.P ^ ce g?X? -fhel ter § | .different
..with this pecj|lia|3fgal^r^,, tha t_t h p fung almoft ah Sb®
night long, ^hqugh- b rfti©^?aj-\d-5K?§ Y-tydarks) W®
pjjgjifjr ifnd a .Kllld ^of-llindjlobflcr, which
.e^en.,theptaheiteans wercfc.ujgt
r The, gsees ^Ba^jegftpn’jS. i f l^ n d hyt tfte cocQ^guts
Y r j ^ 5f e-dh.eF j a-qd-jonly/pund on ijd^ |i,®rth-'W^i5Pvdi: jthofe which
■ ftp© the clumps are &®ilteps .4hx-'gs®k3k&Bt fed bjgh,.whh
h-rg® d&upks, from ^ e t j^ fc g ir^ o r five yai^S in; circumference,
diyidmg abopt half way upinlO OF^ha br^ dd a rk
gre^i leaf ) A? ^t%f°jl i f W & t-fein,, -n?g$y of1 A efe ffipcshad fallen,
tbpk, ;br«®iGihesj b id awaken rc^t, and <aga.in grown, up to, fiye ,0?
try 4-tnegg asjja£ge, a s -^ejjol|l-jOne. --rTgke ,-wood appeared, t©he o f n©
,ufe -to hw n 4 'r^e£k^vlh?)ter -regularly
huih a, morai ofL^yra^s, w ith oge <hftancg placed
.upright: we. atft> :h>i#d. tlo^emaips.tf'-hwo ‘0? thro;., huts*;and a
planm fpaQe, with thn end. A t one:, place
®y e<(hy -tfiefe .were ftrewed on.tfie groupd yaft. .quantities^ clam
^ l s ,A h - l y b i^ h . fp ^ O b e f f la n d .to haYe beentopce iBhabited'j hut
Tyfr«thqr the perfons had emigrated elfewfeMe>,/ Of ; becQme .eStio^i.
.there was ns>>ren@hung eMidenee Wibereon \tp,forrn a conjediu^, a§ the
•JattQHSr.as probable as-the former ih,ifeSlUsely they would: be
no more tharv itHe .ca-ew o f ^ne Canoe, who, by ^ e number ,of clam
vfh^Tls, , muff have fubfiffed h©|g a -^ n^ e fflb le ■ i^ h a p ! hh
their eanoe .was ': rendered htito itrarrfpQrf them d0,:fflOftier ifland.; ft
•is likely alfo g ^ - f e l^ f l ia l i y and
ffo. riear the morai.■ wbre.-oh-theirydenting > a©d by ;thefow o f Bide
Which had,fellan.iini ^he,:ufual manner, wefnppofe it .cqylif.not.be
more than fiffey'yearsBnce'they were firft planted... ;
. .One ci-rcuixiftance here" is very ftriking, which is. -that, however
fmall in number .ihei wrelfihed -b^». * JBMW»