212 LETTER OF THE ADMIRAL'S SECRETARY. 
that it was prayer-time, for the Admiral always 
has prayers before breakfast. I said to Philip, 
' I shall be up again directly, if you will wait/ 
He paused a moment, and then said, 'May I 
come, sir ? ' ' Oh, yes,' I answered. On going 
down, we met the rest of his companions, whom 
he told, and they all came in and knelt down to 
prayers. We then got a hurried breakfast, and 
the Admiral and myself immediately landed 
in the cutter, the water being pretty smooth. 
This was the only time a ship's boat was able to 
land, for a heavy surf generally rolls in, breaking 
with terrific violence on the rocky shore. The 
proper way to land is to come to the back of the 
rollers in a ship's boat; a whale-boat then comes 
off, you get into her, and she immediately gets 
ready to obey the signal of a man who stands 
upon a rock on shore : and directly he waves his 
hat, the favourable moment has arrived, the men 
give way, and with wonderful rapidity the boat 
is borne on the top of a wave to the shore. They 
are very skilful, and in a heavy surf will gene- 
rally land you dry. 
"Mr. George Hunn Nobbs y their teacher or 
pastor, met us at the landing-place, and we at 
once ascended the cliffs by a steep winding 
path to a plantation of cocoa-trees, called the 
market-place, as all trade is carried on at this 
spot. Here the islanders met us and gave us a 
hearty welcome. Generally all the inhabitants 
assemble here to welcome the officers of a man- 
of-war; but as it was Sunday and early, they 
had not arrived. We continued our way by 
a pretty path winding through the trees to the 
