28 THE WHALEMAN'S ADVENTURES. 



could accomplish such a rescue ; and, with a 

 favouring Providence, he navigated the bereaved 

 whaler to Oahu, where the survivers were hos- 

 pitably entertained. The ship, however, had 

 to be sent home, the voyage being completely 

 broken up for want of the necessary officers, 

 and thousands of dollars lost to owners and 

 underwriters. 



I remember once to have listened to the 

 narrative of a captain who was wrecked in the 

 Pacific on a sunken rock, and for fourteen days 

 and nights himself and crew, twenty- two in 

 number, were exposed in their boats, and had 

 quite given up hope of ever again reaching the 

 land. But, on the morning of the fifteenth day 

 after the loss of their ship, they found their 

 boats nearing an unknown island. They were 

 almost spent, and saw the shore, which was 

 guarded by a reef, lined with natives, whether 

 cannibals or Christianized they could not tell. 



While their lives were in doubt, and they 

 were questioning whether a worse death by 

 savage violence did not await them than if 

 they had perished at sea, one of the natives 



