214 
SOUTH SEA 
crews with safety upon them, was a different affair, and 
which required great care and practical knowledge to 
manage with success ; for we could very soon see that 
the rollers or breakers were setting upon the island with 
awful force. 
The rocks formed inclined planes nearly on all sides, 
ascending to a blunt peak in the centre, but the surface 
was full of ravines; and all around the greater mass, 
when the sea recoiled, small points of rocks or jutting 
crags, could be seen in great numbers surrounding it. 
To pass through these dangers was necessary, of course, 
before the crew could land upon the central rocks 
that formed the resting place of the seals, which had 
taken up, as they generally do, a place naturally well 
fortified from the incursions of marauders such as we 
were ; but our captain was a man who thought such 
things mere trifles, —he gave the command, and away 
they all went, while I thought proper to accompany 
them, as I generally did all boat excursions, to observe 
their doings for my own gratification. But when we 
arrived within a cabled length of the rocks, the dan- 
gerous nature of the surf was rendered more manifest, 
so that we were obliged to make a circuit of the whole 
group, to discover some spot of the least dangerous kind 
on which to make our descent ; we quickly made our 
choice, and the boats 5 heads were placed in its direction ; 
we soon got very near the shore, and soon we rose upon 
the top of a mountainous sea, which set in with danger- 
ous swiftness to the rocks ; in a few seconds we were 
close up with them, and all but two in each boat were 
