THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 985 
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, 
however, they recognized her features as those of 
one 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 hira 
on his happiness. At length they arrived safely 
at Feejee, where they resided under the protection 
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 support of life, if un- 
renewed by communication with the atmosphere. 
However, it is quite probable, that there might 
have been clefts in the ceiling, which might admit 
air without admitting light; although Mr. Mariner 
could discover none, even by swimming up each 
of the chambers with the torch in his hand. He, 
however, bears testimony, expressly, to the purity 
of the air during his visit to the retreat, so that 
we will not reject the narrative on that account. 
