314 MALOLO, 
his head on the mast; they then took a rope, an inch and a half in 
thickness, when, beginning at his ankles, they wound it around his 
body and the mast, the turns being taken not far apart, up to his 
shoulders, allowing his head only to move a little, and thus exposed 
him all day to the sun! He was, towards evening, unbound and 
suffered to go, but he could not move, and was carried by four men. 
It is supposed if the ships had not been there, another and more deadly 
punishment would have been inflicted upon him. 
I have now to speak of the examination the Porpoise made of the 
great sea-reef and islands to the west of the Asaua Group. They left 
the anchorage of Ya-asaua on the 21st of July, and shortly after dis- 
covered a sail, which proved to be the ship Triton, an American 
whaler, from which they obtained a few articles of provisions. 
Occasional soundings were found all over the space to the east 
of the island of Biva, the most western of the group, which I have 
already spoken of as being in sight from the high peaks that were 
observed on. | 
On the night of the 21st the brig struck several times with great 
violence on a coral shoal, but got over in safety. The next day they 
were near Biva, a long low island, with two smaller ones connected 
with it covered with cocoa-nut trees. Boats were sent out to examine 
it. The island is surrounded by a reef, and affords no anchorage; it 
is inhabited by about fifty souls. Fifteen of them came around the 
boat’s crew on their landing, armed with clubs and spears, but they 
seemed very timid and inoffensive. They said they had suffered 
much from want of food, and that some had even perished from star- 
vation. ‘The island did not seem to produce any thing but cocoa-nuts, 
of which, after much difficulty, a few were procured. In their trade 
with us they preferred fish-hooks to any thing else, and gave as a 
reason to Aliko the pilot, that with them they could obtain food. 
They stated that in times of scarcity each person was allowed no 
more than three cocoa-nuts a day. Their koro was small and not far 
from the place of landing; but it was not visited, as they seemed 
unwilling that the party should do so. 
After obtaining sights for chronometers and making the necessary 
examinations, they returned to the brig, and found the whaling-ship 
in company. 
The reef that surrounds Biva extends three miles to the south 
of the island. Near its southern end is the opening, but it is not 
practicable even for a small vessel, without danger from the nume- 
rous coral lumps. 
