chap, xiil] NEARLY SWAMPED. 293 



of baling out. This caused us to sink deeper in the water, 

 and then we shipped seas over our sides, and the rowers 

 who had before declared it was nothing now became alarmed, 

 and turned the boat round to get back to the coast of 

 Semao, which was not far off. By clearing away some of 

 the baggage a little of the water could be baled out, but 

 hardly so fast as it came in, and when we neared the coast 

 we found nothing but vertical walls of rock against which 

 the sea was violently beating. We coasted along some 

 distance till we found a little cove, into which we ran the 

 boat, hauled it on shore, and emptying it found a large 

 hole in the bottom, which had been temporarily stopped 

 up with a plug of cocoa-nut which had come out. Had we 

 been a quarter of a mile further off before we discovered 

 the leak, we should certainly have been obliged to throw 

 most of our baggage overboard, and might easily have lost 

 our lives. After we had put all straight and secure we 

 again started, and when we were half-way across got into 

 such a strong current and high cross sea that we were very 

 nearly being swamped a second time, which made me vow 

 never to trust myself again in such small and miserable 

 vessels. 



The mail steamer did not arrive for a week, and I 

 occupied myself in getting as many of the birds as I could, 

 and found some which were very interesting. Among 

 these were five species of pigeons, of as many distinct 



