A few canoes were drawn up on the beach near a large
hut, out of which three or four natives came, and, having looked at us
for some time, ran off into the woods. Blue smoke could be seen
curling up from several points of the forest, no doubt indicating the
presence of more natives, whose dwellings were concealed by the trees.
[Illustration: Going up the Mast in a Chair.]
[Illustration: Children looking up]
After lunch, Tom had me hoisted up to the foretopmast-head in a
'boatswain's chair,' which is simply a small plank, suspended by ropes
at the four corners, and used by the men to sit on when they scrape
the masts. I was very carefully secured with a rope tied round my
petticoats, and, knocking against the various ropes on my way, was
then gently hoisted up to what seemed at first a giddy height; but
when once I got accustomed to the smallness of the seat, the airiness
of my perch, and the increased roll of the vessel, I found my position
by no means an unpleasant one. Tom climbed up the rigging and joined
me shortly afterwards. From our elevated post we could see plainly the
formation of the island, and the lagoon in the centre, encircled by a
band of coral, in some places white, bare, and narrow, in others wide
and covered with palm-trees and rich vegetation; it was moreover
possible to understand better the theory of the formation of these
coral islands.
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