OVALAU. 149 



asked wliat she wanted for tlie lot, and she said she would 

 leave it to me ; a most objectionable way of proceeding. 

 All I could say she would not name a price, laughing and 

 talking all the time. So finding it useless to try any more, 

 I said, three pounds, then fotir, and paused, and asked her 

 if she were satisfied ; and seeing clearly she was not, I said 

 Jive pounds, intending to go no further, and then asked if 

 she were not satisfied now ; she said she was ; whereupon 

 I laughingly took the liberty of suggesting to her she 

 might as well have stated her price at once. While all this 

 was going on the rain fell in torrents, and, what is unusual 

 at this time of the year, there were from time to time claps 

 of thunder. I was then obliged to face the storm, and got 

 back to the ship about one in the morning. 



Among the white men who visited the ' Curayoa,' and 

 whom the Commodore received in a friendly way, was a 

 man wearing two silver medals, an old English soldier, who 

 had come to the island I know not how, and was keeping a 

 boarding-house, which did not seem to be very profitable. 

 Sir William offered refreshments to all his visitors, and at 

 the same time ordered the ship's band to play different pieces 

 for their amusement. 



There is but one missionary in the island. Mi-. Moore, 

 who lives with his wife on a slight eminence about half a 

 mile from the sea. I paid liim a flying visit one day as I 

 was on my way into the interior of the island. He told me 

 he was born in Sidney, and was obliging enough to procure 

 me guides. I walked for two miles along the foot of a 



