62 BRINGING MR. TOWNSEND BACK AGAIN. 



old New Bedford. So if he remained in the Swift 

 throughout the voyage he would have little or 

 nothing coming to him at its conclusion. There- 

 fore, from Townsend's standpoint it was worth 

 while to take big risks and try to ship again. 

 The venture involved no loss and a possible gain. 



So, despite the grave counsel from the ancient 

 mariner, this daring young citizen of Rochester, 

 N. Y., gazed wistfully toward the splendid wooded 

 island — one of the Navigator group, better known 

 under the name of Samoa — which rose majesti- 

 cally out of the ocean, green, luxuriant, fascinating. 

 It was scarce two miles away. 



" My stars ! " said Townsend to himself, " my 

 stars, if T was only there ! " 



No amount of good advice could change Town- 

 send's determination to leave the ship. Old 

 Bowline might have informed the officers of Town- 

 send's plans, but he thought he had talked the 

 boy out of his folly. So the project developed 

 quite as if it had suffered nothing by interference. 



We cruised so near the Samoa Islands that not 

 infrequently the natives would come off in canoes, 

 bringing the usual commodities — fruit, cocoanuts, 

 fowl and pigs — to trade for cotton cloth, gun- 

 powder, iron hoops, and the trinkets and gimcracks 

 they always find so desirable. 



