WHALING VOYAGE. 
315 
head was placed to the northward, for since our arrival 
at this place we had not seen a single whale ; and, more« 
over, we found strong currents frequently setting in 
among the islands, to which we were often so near that 
we were afraid of being drawn in among them in the 
night, when calms prevailed, and all command of the 
ship lost. 
On the 20th of January, 1832, we arrived off Bou- 
gainville, another large island, consisting of very high 
land, covered with verdure to the water’s edge, and 
situated about the longitude of 149° east, and in the 
latitude of about 6° south. As we sailed along its coast 
we saw smoke ascending from it in several places, and 
in a short time a few miserable -looking natives paid us 
a visit in their canoes, but who appeared to feel no ex- 
citement whatever at seeing us, having no doubt seen 
several ships before. When they came alongside, one of 
them held up about a dozen small fish of the size of 
sprats, strung upon a twig, —he offered them to us, 
calling out at the same time, “irum, irum,” meaning 
that he wished for iron in exchange for them. One of 
his companions also wished for the same, offering in 
exchange a curious fish, which is known to naturalists 
as the prickly chetodon, while others wished to bargain 
for their bows and arrows, which are deemed the most 
powerful and the best that are brought from the South 
Seas ; the former are remarkably strong, about six feet 
in length, while the latter are beautifully and most 
ingeniously barbed. The few natives of this place which 
I had an opportunity of observing, had the most sullen 
