42 FROM THE SANDWICH ISLANDS 



sent to the boats for some knives, scissars, and 

 iron, and scarcely did the latter, which consisted 

 of pieces of old hoops three inches long, strike 

 their view, when they again repeated their asto- 

 nishment by a loud O — h / and the desire to 

 possess this treasure was evident in their ardent 

 looks. Moll/ Moll! (so they called the iron)* 

 was now re-echoed from mouth to mouth ; a 

 terrible cry was set up in the boats, and six men, 

 who could not resist the attractive charm, leaped 

 into the water, and came to us to look at the iron ; 

 we could hear nothing but Moll! Moll! I pre- 

 sented Rarick with some pieces of iron, a knife, 

 and scissars : he held his treasure with both hands, 

 pressed it closely to his breast, as if he was afraid 

 of losing it, and could scarcely persuade himself to 

 believe that he possessed such an invaluable trea- 

 sure, which the others devoured with greedy looks ; 

 but when their turn came, their envious counte- 

 nance cleared up ; the rejoicing was beyond 

 bounds ; they all danced about with their iron as if 

 mad, crying, Moll! Moll! without intermission. 

 Their comrades in the boats became uneasy; some 

 ventured to swim to shore, and when they like- 

 wise received presents, the dreadful noise be- 



* The use of it is known to these islanders ; we found in the 

 sequel several pieces among them, which they had probably 

 procured from the beams of a wrecked vessel. Such beams, 

 which appeared to be of American wood, were afterwards seen 

 by ourselves. 



