Wild Life in Southern Seas. 
164 
put on board ; evidently my friends intended 
that we should make a night of it. 
Pushing off, we paddled across the lagoon 
under the most glorious starlight imaginable, 
and soon reached the passage through the reef. 
Here a torch of coconut leaves was lighted, and 
a dozen or two of flying-fish were caught for 
bait ; and then hoisting our sail, with a gentle 
air from the land, we ran along the outer edge 
of the reef just away from the great curling 
rollers, till we rounded the weather horn of the 
little island. Lowering the sail we made all 
snug, lighted pipes, and baited our hooks. As 
takuo are generally caught best when drifting, 
we did not anchor, but sounded first to feel 
our ground, and touched the coral bottom 
with our lines at about twenty-five fathoms. 
Then lowering to about twenty fathoms we 
began to fish. Each native baited with a 
whole flying-fish—I used but a half of one. 
For a few minutes not a sound was heard 
until Tebau (Harry’s brother-in-law) suddenly 
darted his hand into the water and seized 
a large garfish which had ventured too close. 
It was a beautiful silvery scaled fish, nearly a 
yard long, and just as Tebau held him up for 
