282 THE CRUISE OF THE ' CUItACOA.' 



There were a gn'nt many white cockatoos, Init much 

 smaller than those of New Sonth Wales, and with a top- 

 knot for interior in beauty and colour. On both sides of 

 the gangways tliere were a luimber of anxious curiosity- 

 hunters bartering away, and busy pulling up liy cords the 

 curiosities bought, after the bottle, or piece of iron hoop, or 

 anything else as puichase-nioney, had been passed down. 

 Thei'c nuist have been seventy or eighty canoes round us, 

 which remained till sundown, when of course they had to 

 be olT. No women came off with them, but they could he 

 seen on shore in tlu'ir lavala\as. 



The natives were evidently startled \\hen the two muskets 

 were fired at sundown. But it is clear they nuist have 

 trembled with fright when they heard the nine o'clock gun, 

 for, on the following moining, when, after daybreak, the 

 canoes came off, they stopped as tluy ueared the sliip, then 

 approached very slowly and cautiously, as if thej- thought 

 the vessel was a sleeping giant that might awake at any 

 moment and devour them. The 'Southern Cross' made 

 her appearance the same morning, and was made fast to our 

 stern. We were impatiently awaiting the Bishop to know 

 whetlier it would be prudent to take a little ramble in the 

 island which I had projected. lie told us he avouUI advise 

 no person to try it, having that very morning learnt that a 

 tiadmg vessel had killed two natives on account of some 

 trifling theft, and everything induced him to think that the 

 islanders would avenge themselves for these tw(j deaths on 

 the first white man who vi'utured within their clutches. This 



