214 VOYAGES OF A NATURALIST 



the National Anthem was sung. Each verse, 

 written on a blackboard, was held up by a stalwart 

 native for everyone to read. The singing was 

 excellent, and in part singing I have rarely heard 

 its equal ; every one of the islanders sang heartily 

 in perfect tune and time. At the close of this 

 meeting the Union Jack was hoisted over Mr. 

 McCoy's house, and a salute of twenty-one guns 

 was thereupon fired from the " Valhalla." Before 

 we left all the inhabitants visited the yacht, and 

 Lord Crawford was presented with a piece of iron 

 ballast and some copper nails, which had been 

 saved from the " Bounty." 



Soon after mid-day we steamed slowly away, 

 and four boats laden with men and women singing 

 a farewell song followed for some distance in our 

 wake. 



All the inhabitants of Pitcairn can speak perfect 

 English, but when speaking among themselves 

 they cannot easily be understood by a stranger, 

 as they then clip their words, sounding only the 

 first and last letters. Why they do this it is 

 difficult to say. When questioned, they replied 

 that they were talking their " own language," 

 adding that this language only differed from 

 English in the above mentioned particular. 



