THE PACIFIC OCEAlr. 285 



grotto ; and suddenly bidding his crew wait while 

 he fetched his wife, dived, to their astonishment, 

 beneath the wave. They, waited awhile in the 

 greatest suspense and wonder; and at length, when 

 they had despaired of seeing him more, how was 

 their astonishment increased to see him suddenly 

 appear, accompanied by a lovely female ! Soon, 

 however, they recognized her features as those of 

 one whom they had believed to have been slain, 

 in the general massacre of her family ; but having 

 been briefly informed by the chief of the events 

 that had transpired, they joyfully congratulated him 

 on his happiness. At length they arrived safely 

 at Feejee, where they resided under the protection 

 of a chief two years; when, hearing of the death 

 of the tyrant from whose persecutions they had fled, 

 the young chief returned with his wife to their 

 native island, and lived long in peace and happiness. 

 The only point of difficulty in this pleasing story 

 is the time which the young bride is said to have 

 spent in the cavern; viz., two or three months; as 

 it is not easy to understand how the air could have 

 remained so long fit for the support of life, if un- 

 renewed by communication with the atmosphere. 

 However, it is quite probable, that there might 

 have been clefts in the ceiling, which might admit 

 air without admitting light; although Mr. Mariner 

 could discover none, even by swimming up each 

 of the chambers with the torch in his hand. He, 

 however, bears testimony, expressly, to the purity 

 of the air during his visit to the retreat, so that 

 we will not reject the narrative on that account. 



