288 THE CRUISE UF THE ' CUHACOA: 



the plate was divided, as far as I can recollect, into (quarters 

 by two lilies crossing each other. Tliere were also a great 

 many shields of a sort of wicker- work, and some ornaments 

 made of shell-beads. 



We went ashore several times during oiir stay, either to 

 cut ebony-wood, to shoot, or to examine the country. In 

 our search for ebony we had to row a good way before we 

 came to the place which the natives selected tor' us, because 

 there was a big tree near the water. We could not get the 

 boats Avithin a hundred yards of the shore, as tliere is a long 

 straight line of reef running out below at some distance, 

 through whicli, l)y the cok)ur of the water, we could see 

 there was no opening ; and where we were it was all coral 

 and no passage, so we had to jump out; the water was 

 .sometimes up to my middle, and eveiy now and then, wlien 

 the coral, &c., gave way imder my feet, I sank up to my 

 watch-pocket, gun in hand, which was rather inconvenient. 

 The boy that carried my bag fell, and got it wet. There 

 was a great variety of zoophytes, corals, starfish, actiniae, sea 

 eggs, corallines; also the Ilolothuria, a species which seems 

 very similar to tliat called the ' Nigger ' or ' Cotton spinner ' 

 by the Cornish llsheiinen, from its throwing out what they 

 call cotton ; it was of a dark colour, and ejected a quantity 

 of very white-looking thread-like cotton, which was very 

 tenacious and strong. I had some difFiculty in pulling it off 

 my trousers, (jver Avhich, by tlie agitation of the water, it 

 had spread into numerous long threads. There were also 

 many Kadiata. When we reached the shore we went about 



