PENRHYN ISLAND 267 



number of children. An old and very savage-looking chief made 

 signs for them not to land, threatening them with spears if this was 

 attempted. Lieutenant-Commandant Ringgold threw them some pre- 

 sents, and received in return a few cocoa-nuts and two large fish, the 

 smallest of which measured five feet two inches in length, and its 

 greatest circumference was four feet four inches. These proved to be 

 excellent food. They were remarkable for their splendid colour, the 

 great size of the canine teeth in each jaw, and a large protuberance 

 over the eyes ; the head was without scales, the body being covered 

 with large circular plates, over which the epidermis was very thick 

 and of a rich blue colour, with regular concentric stripes of yellowish 

 white ; the fins and tails were striped with straight lines of alternate 

 blue and yellow; the lips were fleshy, and the jaws strong and bony. 



The men were of the dark-skinned race, resembling the Feejeeans, 

 of fine form, and crispy hair, with crowns of matting on their heads : 

 the old man had a silvery beard. They would not permit our people 

 to land, and on an attempt being made by a Sandwich Islander, they 

 stood prepared to spear him. Lieutenant-Commandant Ringgold, 

 wishing to avoid collision, ordered him to return. 



After searching around this locality for other islands, the Porpoise 

 steered to the northward, for the island of Aratica (Carlshoff). On the 

 loth they made the island of Tahanea: its south end is a bare reef, but 

 there are trees on the east and west sides. Fires were seen after dark 

 on the island. This, like all the other islands, has small islets around 

 it, connected by low coral reefs, over which the sea in places washes. 



Passing in sight of Saken, Raraka, and Taiara, they made Aratica 

 on the 18th, where they found the party all well, and at once began to 

 embark them, which was completed on the 19th. The Porpoise then 

 bore away for Tahiti, two hundred and fifty miles distant, which they 

 made on the 21st, and the same day they anchored in Matavai Bay. 



At the time the brig left him, Lieutenant Johnson had succeeded in 

 making a beginning with the apparatus. Considering the novelty of 

 the business, and that all were unacquainted with the uses of the dif- 

 ferent parts of the machinery, I was aware of the difficulty of the task 

 that would be imposed upon the officer who directed the operation. 1 

 had therefore designated Lieutenant Johnson for this business, who, on 

 account of his ingenuity, perseverance, and mechanical contrivance, 

 was considered by me as most suitable for this duty. The under- 

 taking proved fully as laborious as I had anticipated, and Lieutenant 

 Johnson's exertions were worthy of better success. The principal 

 difficulties he had to encounter were the looseness of the sand, and the 

 falling in of the coral stones. Every means were devised to overcome 



