238 
SOUTH SEA 
goats, fowls, and potatos. A great concourse of naked 
men and women soon surrounded him, all of them eager 
to bargain ; while a few who could not get near him, 
surrounded me and the sailors, entreating me by various 
curious grimaces to do the same as the mate, which I 
was not long in commencing. 
Not only the animals I have mentioned above were 
here offered for sale, but other creatures of a more 
alluring and captivating kind presented themselves in a 
row, and were offered at an exceedingly low price by a 
hoary headed chief. A yard of cloth caused powerful 
emotions to arise within their delicate bosoms, while the 
vision of a white shirt enraptured the whole throng, their 
eyes sparkling upon the object with much animation, 
and with such “fine frenzy rolling,” that could not be 
unobserved by the dullest person present. We returned 
to the ship by sunset, with a large cargo of the articles 
first mentioned, promising to return the following day ; 
the boat was loaded at the place they had stationed 
us in when they carried us up the beach, and now on 
our return, they caused us all to get into the boat again, 
and then commenced another wild scene, — all the young 
men who could get near us lifted her completely from 
the ground, and carried us altogether to the sea, into 
which they carefully launched us amidst such hideous 
yelling that to the sound the very rocks reverberated. 
Some of them swimming out with us, and piloting the 
boat until she was free from the surf, when they returned 
to the shore, springing through the water with great 
pow r er and quickness, uttering exulting shouts, which 
