THE PELEW ISLANDS. 
363 
long it might be before his return to Pelew ? and being told, 
that it would probably be about thirty moons, or might 
chance to extend to fix more, Abba Thulle drew from his 
balket a piece of Line y and, after making thirty knots on it, a 
little distance from each other, left a long fpace, and then 
adding fix others, carefully put it by. 
As the flow but Pure fteps of Time have been moving 
onward, the Reader’s imagination will figure the anxious pa¬ 
rent reforting to this cherifhed remembrancer, and with joy 
untying the earlier records of each elapfing period;—as he 
fees him advancing on his Line , he will conceive that joy 
redoubledand, when nearly approaching to the thirtieth 
knot, almoft accufing the planet of the night for palling fo 
tardily away. 
When verging towards the termination of his latejl reck¬ 
oning, he will then picture his mind glowing with parental 
affedUon, occalionally alarmed by doubt—yet Hill buoyed up 
by hope ; —he will fancy him pacing inquilitively the fea~ 
fhore, and often commanding his people to afcend every 
rocky height, and glance their eyes along the level line of 
the horizon which bounds the furrounding ocean, to fee if 
haply it might not in fome part be broken by the diftant ap¬ 
pearance of a returning fail. 
Lallly, he will view the good Abba Thulle, wearied out 
by that expectation, which fo many returning moons, lince 
his reckoning ceafed, have by this time taught him he had 
3 A a nourifhed 
