3 3 6 KEELING ISLAND. [CHAP. **. 



puzzling. The island has scarcely ever been visited, nor is it probable 

 that a ship had been wrecked there. From the absence of any better 

 explanation, I came to the conclusion that it must have come entangled 

 in the roots of some large tree : when, however, I considered the great 

 distance from the nearest land, the combination of chances against a 

 stone thus being entangled, the tree washed into the sea, floated so far, 

 then landed safely, and the stone finally so embedded as to allow of its 

 discovery, I was almost afraid of imagining a means of transport 

 apparently so improbable. It was therefore with great interest that I 

 found Chamisso, the justly distinguished naturalist who accompanied 

 Kotzebue, stating that the inhabitants of the Radack Archipelago, a 

 group of lagoon islands in the midst of the Pacific, obtained stones for 

 sharpening their instruments by searching the roots of trees which are 

 cast upon the beach. It will be evident that this must have happened 

 several times, since laws have been established that such stones belong 

 to the chief, and a punishment is inflicted on any one who attempts to 

 steal them. When the isolated position of these small islands, in the 

 midst of a vast ocean their great distance from any land excepting 

 that of coral formation, attested by the value which the inhabitants, 

 who are such bold navigators, attach to a stone of any kind,* and the 

 slowness of the currents of the open sea, are all considered, the 

 occurrence of pebbles thus transported does appear wonderful. Stones 

 may often be thus carried ; and if the island on which they are stranded 

 's constructed of any other substance besides coral, they would scarcely 

 attract attention, and their origin at least would never be guessed. 

 Moreover, this agency may long escape discovery from the probability 

 of trees, especially those loaded with stones, floating beneath the 

 surface. In the channels of Tierra del Fuego large quantities of drift 

 timber are cast upon the beach, yet it is extremely rare to meet a tree 

 swimming on the water. These facts may possibly throw light on 

 single stones, whether angular or rounded, occasionally found embedded 

 in fine sedimentary masses. 



During another day I visited West Islet, on which the vegetation was 

 perhaps more luxuriant than on any other. The cocoa-nut trees 

 generally grow separate, but here the young ones flourished beneath 

 their tall parents, and formed with their long and curved fronds the 

 most shady arbours. Those alone who have tried it, know how 

 delicious it is to be seated in such shade, and drink the cool pleasant 

 fluid of the cocoa-nut. In this island there is a large bay-like space, 

 composed of the finest white sand: it is quite level, and is only covered 

 by the tide at high water ; from this large bay smaller creeks penetrate 

 the surrounding woods. To see a field of glittering white sand, 

 representing water, with the cocoa-nut trees extending their tall and 

 waving trunks round the margin, formed a singular and very pretty 

 view. 



I have before alluded to a crab which lives on the cocoa-nuts : it is 

 very common on all parts of the dry land, and grows to a monstrous 



* Some natives carried by Kotzebue j to Kamtschatka collected stones to 

 take back to their country. 



