18 THE CRUISE OF TEE 'CUBAgO.L' 



banks appeared to us to be steep. It is certainly of volcanic 

 origin, and is about five miles long by three wide. We 

 observed a fire upon the coast, and some animals, which, in 

 the distance, looked like sheep. The island is covered with 

 verdure, with the exception of its cliffs, in which I tliought 

 I perceived columnar basalt. It is said to have been in- 

 habited in 1840 by an American named Halstead and his 

 family, and it was on its shores that Captain Denham, of 

 H.M.S. 'Herald,' buried one of his sons in 1854. Whalers 

 stop here occasionally to procure water, vegetables, and 

 poultry. We could not discern the sliglitest trace of Twelve- 

 foot Eock, marked on tlie chart as being distinctly visible on 

 account of its breakers. 



On the 29th, about 9 o'clock in the morning, we hove 

 to about two miles from Nine Island. An aged native, 

 of remarkably good appearance, wlio had been on board a 

 whaler, immediately came on board to inform us that the 

 missionary's wife ^\'as ill. Soon afterwards a number of canoes 

 rapidly approached tlie ' Curaooa ' laden with spears, shells, 

 fruit, models of canoes, and other objects intended for barter 

 with the sailors. AU these canoes were small sized ; I did 

 not see one which carried more than six persons, the greater 

 part not more than four. As our stay was to be very short, 

 I hastened to land. In the remarkably transparent waters 

 off the coast I saw several of those sharks which the sailors 

 call tiger sharks, but which, to all appearance, are not so 

 dangerous as they are supposed to be, since the islanders 

 swim among them without manifesting any apprehension. 



