LAND AT SEGAR. 199 



was left in the surf when all hands had succeeded in 

 righting and shoving off the boat ; so we three 

 walked along the beach, while Captain Blackwood 

 went on in the gig to look for an opening, which was 

 vaguely marked in the chart, leading into a lagoon 

 to the northward. In about half a mile we reached 

 this lagoon, and found it a large circular basin one 

 or two miles wide, with a very considerable village 

 or town at its upper extremity, and six or eight 

 large prahus, one apparently of 100 tons burthen at 

 least, and several smaller craft, at anchor. This 

 lagoon is separated from the sea by a low neck of 

 woody land, at one point not more than fifty yards 

 wide, and is accessible bv a narrow channel not more 

 than 100 vards across. Several reefs and shoals 

 lie off the mouth of this channel to the northward, 

 but we several times got a cast of five fathoms 

 among them, and the same depth was found in the 

 narrowest part of the entrance to the lagoon, so that 

 it is probable a winding channel of that depth might 

 be found leading from the sea into the lagoon. The 

 flat land between the lagoon and the sea, after being 

 contracted to fifty yards, opened to a third of a mile 

 in width, and contained some fields and cocoa-nut 

 plantations, and a cottage or two. As we walked 

 along it a beautiful deer started out of a bush, and 

 though my gun was not loaded with ball, I could 

 not resist the temptation of firing at it, but did not 

 bring it down. At the report of the gun a herd of 

 about twenty came trotting out of a thicket hard by. 



