10 NEARLY DROWNED. 



those upsets was rather hidic-rous. I was crossing Alu harbour in 

 tow of a hirge native canoe, setting out on a two days' excursion 

 with ,ill r.iy stores on board, when my scientilic zeal induced me to 

 lean over to pick up a piece of floating pumice. At that moment 

 the large canoe gave a sudden tug and I found myself in the water 

 with my canoe bottom upwards beside me. The men in the other 

 canoe turned her over on her keel, and I got in over the bow, finding 

 ver^' little water inside, but quite sufficient to soak our store of 

 biscuit. However, nothing was lost, although my watch stopped 

 halt'-au-liour afterwards and refused dutv during the rest of the 

 season, and my aneroid was never of any use again, both these 

 articles having been carried in my belt. 



On the weather coasts of cliff-girt islands exposed to the continu- 

 ous trade-swell, much caution is needed in skirting the shore, as every 

 ten minutes or more a huge roller suddenly rushes in, exposing rocks 

 covered usually by three or four fathoms of water, and rising up the 

 face of tlie cliffs to a height twice as high as the usual level reached 

 by the breakers. From my foolhardy disregard of this circumstance, 

 I very nearly lost my life in July, 1884, on the weather coast of 

 Stirlin" Island. Havinfr stood for some moments on the edsre of 

 the cliff' admiring the magnilicent breakers that broke at the foot, 

 there having l)een a strong south-easterly gale during the two pre- 

 ceding day.s, I commenced to clamVjer down the face of the cliff to 

 rcacli a ledge that rose about twenty feet above the usual level of 

 the breakers. WJiilst I wa3 pausing in the descent to examine the 

 nnmerous embedded corals in the cliff"-face, a huge wave rose over 

 the Ictlge, swe])t up the face of the cliff' over my head, and carried 

 mc off' as if I had been a ftuither. I thought my last moments had 

 come, knowing tliat if swept off' the ledge into the Ijreakers below, I 

 shouhl bt> da.shed by the next roller against the base of the cliff. 

 As I was being carried off', I chitclieil a ]n-ojecting point of coral- 

 rock with all my energy, and in a tiw moments the wave had left 

 nif lying Hat on my face on the ledge within two yards of its brink. 

 The next roller was fortunately of much smaller size, and in less 

 than a nunutc I had clambered up the face of the cliff" again to a 

 position of safety, pretty well bruised and scratched about the arras 

 and legs, but otherwise none the worse. My compass and other 

 things liad fallen out of the pouches in my belt, showing that I had 

 descnbed a somersault during the innnersion. Whilst waiting to 



