MAN OVERBOARD. 
3 
animals, laden with bales of goods for the interior. 
The drive was most interesting, every curve in the 
Simplon-like road unfolding fresh beauties. Tree- 
ferns, the papau, and air -plants of every colour, 
clothed the hill-sides. At dusk we reached Petro- 
polis, a hill sanatorium, where we remained two or 
three days, enjoying its many natural beauties and 
the fine cool air. 
Embarking again at Eio, the day after we left shore 
our attention was arrested by the cry of " Man over- 
board ! " The life-buoy was slipped and the cutter 
lowered. "We saw the poor fellow struggling with the 
buoy, and then disappearing ; but he was picked up, 
and the ship stood on her course again, the whole tak- 
ing place in less time than I have taken in mentioning 
the fact. Oddly enough, the hero of the scene got a 
fortnight's salt-water grog for having been in some 
forbidden place when the accident occurred. During 
the night of the 22d June, the tramping, rushing to 
and fro, and shouting of commands on deck, told there 
was a storm, and sleep was impossible. Sixteen hours 
afterwards, the sea still raging in striking magnificence, 
and the ship running along at eleven knots, the cry 
was again heard " Man overboard ! " and every one 
sprang to his feet. Such was the discipline that, from 
the time I first heard the alarm till I saw the boat 
lowered in charge of two of the officers, Wilkinson and 
Gye, only two minutes elapsed. The man is seen 
clinging to the buoy ; in the dusk of evening he is lost 
sight of ; the boat also disappears ; the suspense is 
painful ; " burn a blue light ; " the boat nears the ship ; 
every one holds his breath, till at length the simple 
words, "All right, sir!" convey joy and gladness to 
