184 ITS INHABITANTS. 



miles^ sounding occasionally^ but although within 

 a mile of its edg-e^ no bottom was got with 

 upwards of 100 fathoms of line. From the mast- 

 head ^se could see the surf of the southern border 

 of tliis great reef^ the space between being a lagoon 

 of apparently navigable water. At the western 

 extremity of the reef there appeared to be a clear 

 openings but the day was too far advanced to admit 

 of entering it to search for an anchorage^ and the 

 ship was hove to for the night, 



Eossel Island^ judging from the little we saw of 

 it^ appears to be well inhabited. The first natives 

 seen were a party of ^ye men^ apparently naked, 

 who came out upon the beach from a gTove of cocoa- 

 nut trees_, and stood gazing at the unusual sigiit to 

 them of two vessels passing by. Opposite a pretty 

 creek-like harbour^ the windings of which we could 

 trace back a little way among the hills^ several 

 canoes of various sizes were seen^ each with an 

 outrigger on one side^ and one of them fiuniished 

 with a large mat-sail of an oblong- shape^ rounded 

 at the ends. The people^ of whom there were 

 usually about six or seven in each canoe^ appeared 

 to be eno^ao-ed in fishino- in the shoal water. One 

 man in a very small canoe was bailing it out with a 

 large melon-shell so intently that he appeared to 

 take no notice whatever of the ship which passed 

 within a quarter of a mile of him. We saw many 

 huts close to the beach^ usually three or four 

 together^ forming small villages. They appeared to 



