2-44 THE CRUISE OF THE ' CUBAQOA: 



those guns, which liad remained shotted since the affair at 

 Tanna, to be fired off. 



Towards evening of the same day we sighted the island 

 of Santa Cruz, otherwise called Nitendi. In the middle of 

 the night the wind began to blow very hard, and, for three 

 hours, the rain fell in such quantities that the ship was as 

 it were swamped, and for my part I had my bed and things 

 completely drenched. At daybreak on August 25 we kept 

 along the east coast of Santa Cruz, then doubled its northern 

 point in order to lay our course to the west, and towards 

 midday found ourselves abreast of Port Graciosa, where 



we hove to at a distance of three or four miles from the 

 coast. We were not very far from Tinakoro or Volcano 

 Island, a cone emerging from the sea, the top of which ap- 

 peared to us to be continuously covered with clouds or smoke, 

 and at times with both at once. We got sight in the dis- 

 tance of some large villages on the coast of Santa Cruz. As 

 we were not to put foot on land, we were apprehensive for 

 a moment that we had come thus for, and yet should not 



