174 MACASSAR TO THE ARU ISLANDS [chap, xxviii. 



its motions. As they skim along the surface they turn on 

 their sides, so as fully to display their beautiful fins, taking 

 ii flight of about a hundred yards, rising and falling in a 

 most graceful manner. At a little distance they exactly 

 resemble swallows, and no one who sees them can doubt 

 that they really do fly, not merely descend in an oblique 

 direction from the height they gain by their first spring. 

 In the evening an aquatic bird, a species of booby (Sula 

 fiber.) rested on our hen-coop, and was caught by the 

 neck by one of my boys. 



Bee. ?>lsf,. — At daybreak the Ke Islands (pronounced 

 kay) were in sight, where we are to stay a few days. 

 About noon we rounded the northern point, and endea- 

 voured to coast along to the anchorage ; but being now on 

 the leeward side of the island, the wind came in violent 

 irregular gusts, and then leaving us altogether, we were 

 carried back by a strong current. Just then two boats- 

 load of natives appeared, and our owner having agreed ^ 

 with them to tow us into harbour, they tried to do so, :; 

 assisted by our own boat, but could make no way. We 

 were therefore obliged to anchor in a very dangerous place 

 on a rocky bottom, and we were engaged till nearly dark 

 getting hawsers secured to some rocks under water. The 

 coast of Ke along which we had passed was very pic- 

 turesque. Light coloured limestone rocks rose abruptly 

 from the water to the height of several hundred feet, every- 



I 



