208 THE OCEAN. 



to arrive, when he misiht without hazard acknowledcje 

 her as his chosen wife, and restore her to liberty and 

 security. At length he proposed to his vassals an 

 emigration to the Feejee Islands, and requested them 

 to accompany him. They complied, but asked him 

 respectfully, if he would not take a Tonga wife with 

 him. He laughingly replied, no ; but that he might 

 possibly find one by the way. Having put to sea, he 

 steered by the cliffs of Hoonga, the isle of the grotto ; 

 and suddenly bidding his crew wait while he fetched 

 his wife, dived, to their astonishment, beneath the 

 wave. They waited awhile in the greatest suspense 

 and wonder ; and at length, when they had despaired 

 of seeing him more, how was their astonishment 

 increased to see him suddenly appear, accompanied 

 by a lovely female ! Soon, hoAvever, they recognised 

 her features as those of onf> whom they had believed 

 to have been slain, in the general massacre of her 

 family ; but having been briefly informed by the 

 chief of the events that had transpired, they joyfully 

 congratulated him on his happiness. At length they 

 arrived at Feejee, where they resided under the pro- 

 tection of a chief two years ; when, hearing of the 

 death of the tyrant from whose persecutions they had 

 fled, the young chief returned with his wife to their 

 native island, and lived long in peace and happiness. 

 The only point of difficulty in this pleasing story 

 is the time which the young bride is said to have 

 spent in the cavern ; viz., two or three months ; as 

 it is not easy to understand how the air could have 

 remained so long fit for the supj)ort of life, if un- 

 renewed by communication with the atmosphere. 



