140 FROM RADACK TO 



possible velocity, that in case it should be neces- 

 sary to turn her against the wind during the passage, 

 she might have force to sail on till every danger was 

 over. "We should not have succeeded in this under- 

 taking had we not been favoured by the current : 

 it was very dangerous, and w^e were greatly re- 

 joiced when we got through, without having 

 come too near the reef, which forms the southern 

 entrance. A species of mackarel had caught itself 

 on the fishing-hook hanging behind the ship, and 

 so the islands paid us a tribute the moment we 

 entered their group. The wind would have car- 

 ried us in a direct course to the island of Ailu if we 

 had not been intercepted by numerous coral banks, 

 to avoid which, or to sail round them, cost us 

 much time. We had not met with so many .shoals 

 in any group ; we however found a convenient 

 anchoring-place at noon near Ailu. Three boats 

 immediately came up to our ship, and Kadu, in 

 his sailor's dress, did not neglect to place himself 

 on the deck in such a position that he could be 

 distinctly seen. He condescendingly called out to 

 them, that he was Kadu, they need not fear to 

 come on board j but they, scarcely trusting their 

 eyes, did not venture till after they had had a long 

 conversation with him. After they had sufficiently 

 examined and admired the dress of their old 

 friend, he explained to them with much dignity 

 all the other objects, and thought it quite natural 

 that they should behave' to him with as much sub- 



17 



