282 THE CRUISE OF THE ' CUEACJOA: 



There were a great many white cockatoos, but much 

 smaller thfin those of New South Wales, and with a top- 

 knot far inferior in beauty and colour. On both sides of 

 tlie gangways there were a number of anxious curiosity- 

 hunters bartering away, and busy pulling up by cords the 

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

 (anything else as purchase-money, had been passed down. 

 There must liave been seventy or eighty canoes round us, 

 whicli remained till sundown, when of course they had to 

 be off. No women came off witii th.em, but they could be 

 .«e<en on shore iii their lavalavas. 



The natives were evidently startled when the two muskets 

 were fired at sundown. But it is clear they must ha^e 

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

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

 canoes came off, they stopped as they neared the ship, then 

 approached very slowly and ca.utiousl-y, as if they thought 

 the vessel was a sleeping giant that might avvflke at any 

 moment and devour them. The ' Southern Cross ' made 

 her appearance the same morning, and was made fiist to ouf 

 •stern. We were impatiently awaiting the Bishop to know 

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

 island which I had projected. He told us he would advise 

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

 tradmg vessel had killed two natives on account of some 

 trifling theft, and everything induced him to tliink that the 

 islanders would avenge themselves for these two deaths on 

 the first white man who ventured within their clutches. This 



