IN THE PACIFIC. 89 



explained to us that the route we had chosen 

 was not the best, the path being bad and the 

 distance great, and advised us to go back and 

 land at another place, called Black Beach Bay, 

 on the west side of the island. We therefore 

 again took to the boat, and pulled round in 

 that direction. On our way we came across 

 shoals of large mullet swimming on the surface 

 of the water, several of which we killed by 

 firing into them. The sea was alive with fish and 

 turtle, and so clear was it that we could see every 

 stone on the bottom, although it was several 

 fathoms deep. Dropping our lines over the side, 

 we immediately caught some immense rock cod, 

 weighing from twenty to thirty pounds each ; 

 these fish were quite unsophisticated, and would 

 rush at anything, we even caught some on a bare 

 hook. Having half filled the boat, and being 

 tired of the sport, we signalized to the ship to 

 send another boat, and, having transferred the 

 fish into her, continued on our way. We 

 had a long pull to the landing-place, passing 

 multitudes of seals, penguins, turtle, &c., whilst 



