Feb. 

 1826. 



228 VOYAGE TO THE 



c £x T p ' seated the arch ; and thus, between us, in a few 



VIII. & 



hours made the circuit of the island. 



Previous to quitting England, Captain Charlton, 

 the consul at the Sandwich Islands, among other 

 useful matter which he obligingly communicated, 

 informed me of an opening through the coral reef 

 of this island into the lagoon ; and as I was desirous, 

 at this period of the survey, of having a point astro- 

 nomically fixed to correct the chronometrical mea- 

 surements, I determined, if possible, to enter the 

 lagoon with the ship. When we reached the sup- 

 posed opening, a boat was lowered to examine it ; 

 and Tuwarri was sent in her to conciliate the na- 

 tives, should any be seen in the course of the service. 

 As she drew near the shore, several men were ob- 

 served among the trees ; and the officer in charge of 

 the boat, acting under my general orders of being 

 always prepared for an attack, desired the muskets 

 to be loaded. Tuwarri, who had probably never 

 possessed much courage, at the sight of these prepa- 

 rations wished himself anvwhere else than in his 

 present situation, and, to judge from his counte- 

 nance, calculated at least upon being killed and 

 eaten by cannibals : he was in the greatest agitation 

 as the boat advanced, until she came within speak- 

 ing distance of the strangers, when, instead of the 

 supposed monsters ready to devour him, he recog- 

 nised, to his surprise, his own brother and several 

 friends whom he had left at Chain Island three 

 years before, all of whom had long given him up as 

 lost, and whom he never expected to see again. 



The two brothers met in a manner which did 

 credit to their feelings, and after the first salutation 

 sat down together upon the beach with their hands 



