288 OUR FEELINGS ON LEAVING THE ABROLHAS'. 



the hidden dainties were dropped : an eclaircissement 

 which much surprised the neophytes of the ship, who 

 were unaccustomed to such practices. The posses- 

 sors were by no means disconcerted ; but, re-collect- 

 ing their prizes, continued the dance. 



This relation of New Holland manners may by 

 some be deemed overwrought and extravagant ; but, 

 as I have the story from most reliable authority, I 

 can vouch for its correctness. I have seen the par- 

 ticipants, and although, as I before said, they be- 

 longed to the first circles and affected to be aristo- 

 cratic, were they arrayed in jacket and trowsers, 

 they would make first-rate man-of-war's men. 



And now that the Abrolhas' are dropping astern, 

 we will contrast the present state of our feelings with 

 what they were when we entered this channel, five 

 weeks since. Then we were pregnant with hope : 

 no doubt existing in our minds as to the preconceived, 

 certainty of taking several hundred barrels of oil — 

 the only damper to our ardent expectation being the 

 forethought of our toil in towing. The possibility 

 of there being no whales never struck us; for we 

 bad from various testimonies of their presence put 

 this point so far beyond all question, that if any one 

 had started the least misgivings he would have been 

 treated with derision. At that time, too, we firmly 

 expected to leave directly for home on quitting the 

 islands ; having only to make a short stoppage at the 

 Island of St. Helena for water. But now we had 

 before us the unpleasant prospect of another cruise ; 

 and this still more darkened with the thought of our 

 putting into ports, where the little we had due to us 

 would most likely be foolishly spent. Instead of the 



