POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
423 
rock of coral, and gave our infant the breast, while I 
hailed the natives, and directed them to bring the canoe 
over the reef, and take us on board. Happily for us, the 
evening was fair, the moon shone brightly, and her mild 
beams, silvering the foliage of the shrubs that grew near 
the shore, and playing on the rippled and undulating 
wave of the ocean, added a charm to the singularity of 
the prospect, and enlivened the loneliness of our situa¬ 
tion. The scene was unusually impressive. I remember 
distinctly my feelings as I stood, wearied with my walk, 
leaning on a light staff by the side of the rock on 
which Mrs. Ellis with our infant was sitting, and behind 
which our female attendants stood. On one side the 
mountains of the interior, having their outline edged, 
as it were with silver, from the rays of the moon, rose 
in lofty magnificence, while the indistinct form, rich 
and diversified verdure, of the shrubs and trees, increased 
the effect of the whole. On the other hand was the 
illimitable sea, rolling in solemn majesty its swelling 
waves over the rocks which defended the spot on which 
we stood. The most profound silence pervaded the whole 
scene, and we might have fancied that we were the only 
beings in existence, for no sound was heard, excepting the 
gentle rustling of the leaves of the cocoa-nut tree, as the 
light breeze from the mountain swept through them, or 
the loud hollow roar of the surf, and the rolling of the 
foaming wave, as it broke over the distant reef, and the 
splashing of the paddle of our canoe, as it approached 
the shore. It was impossible, at such a season, 
to behold this scene, exhibiting impressively the 
grandeur of creation, and the insignificance of man, 
without experiencing emotions of adoring wonder and 
elevated devotion, and exclaiming with the psalmist. 
