452 LEAVE MASSACRE ISLANDS— BOUKA ISLAND. [1830. 



avenge. A buckshot entered his heart, and two others, who were 

 wounded by the same discharge, fell to the ground. Our gallant tar 

 then retreated as fast as possible ; but before he had got beyond bow- 

 shot distance, he found that the remaining twelve were aiming their 

 arrows at his body ; upon which he again presented his musket, which 

 produced the same effect as before ; and before they could recover 

 themselves he was beyond the reach of their arrows, being taken up 

 by a boat sent to his assistance from Wallace's Island. Had he dis- 

 charged his musket when first surprised at the spring in the forest, he 

 must inevitably have fallen a prey to those ferocious cannibals. His 

 presence of mind was fortunately equal to the emergency, and the 

 Antarctic was not deprived of the services of this brave British seaman. 



We now gave up all hopes of procuring a cargo of biche-de-mer at 

 this group of islands, on account of the unappeaseable vindictiveness 

 and incessant hostilities of the natives, combined with our scarcity of 

 provisions. We therefore took on board what we had collected and 

 cured, which was about two hundred piculs ; a picul being 133^ lbs. 

 avoirdupois. We then set fire to our houses, and bade a final adieu 

 to this inhospitable race of islanders. 



November 3d. — This was on Wednesday, the 3d of November, 1830 ; 

 when, at four, P. M., we took our leave of the Massacre Islands, 

 which had caused me so many anxious days and sleepless nights, 

 with the loss of thirteen of my brave crew, butchered without pro- 

 vocation or suspicion of hostilities. Incidents like these become too 

 deeply impressed upon the mind ever to be eradicated. We steered 

 away to the westward, for Bouka Island, lying off the north end of 

 Bougainville's, with a light breeze from east-south-east, and fair weather. 

 At six A. M., on the following morning, the north end of Bouka 

 was in sight, bearing west-half-south, distant five leagues. A light 

 breeze springing up, we soon gained the north coast of the island, 

 where we were visited by many of the natives, who showed the same 

 treacherous and warlike disposition as the savages of the Massacre 

 Islands. Their personal appearance, character, manners, habits, and 

 customs, as well as their war implements and fishing utensils, are 

 similar in every respect ; but their canoes are much larger, and go 

 very swift with the paddles, when they have their full complement of 

 men on board, which is from fifteen to forty-five, according to the 

 size of the canoes. 



It is worthy of remark, that between the Massacre Islands and 

 Bouka we saw many large shoals of sperm-whales, which were feed- 

 ing, and appeared to be perfectly tame. This, I have no doubt, would 

 be good whaling ground for fast-sailing ships that are well armed, after 

 the season is over on the coast of Japan. But they must carefully 

 avoid all boat communication with the natives, and never send the 

 boats after a whale while the natives are alongside, or when they are 

 on the water with three or four canoes, at any considerable distance 

 from the shore. Their canoes are much swifter than any whale-boat, 

 and they are ever on the alert to cut off such boats as are beyond 

 gun-shot from the ship ; which is easily effected when the wind is 



