478 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
had left^ and that to which we were bound. The wind 
became unsteady and boisterous^ the sea rose, not in 
long heavy billows, but in short, cross, and broken 
waves. We had no compass on board. The dark and 
heavy atmosphere obscuring the sun, prevented our 
discerning the land, and rendered us unconscious of 
the direction in which the gathering storm was driving 
us. We took down our large sails, leaving only a small 
one in the forepart of the boat, merely to keep it 
The tempest increasing, the natives were alarmed, 
and during the occasional intervals in which the wind 
abated its violence, the rain came down in such torrents, 
as if the windows of heaven had been opened, and a 
deluge was descending. The rain calmed in a degree 
the broken and agitated surface of the dark blue ocean, 
that raged in fearful and threatening violence. Our boat 
being but small, not above eighteen feet long, and 
her edge, when the sea had been smooth, not more 
than a foot or eighteen inches above its surface ; every 
wave that broke near, threw its spray over us, and each 
billow, in striking our little bark, forced part of its 
foaming waters over the bow or the sides. Happily, 
we had a bucket on board, by means of which we were 
able to bale out the water. 
In this state we continued, I suppose, about two 
hours, hoping the clouds would disperse, and the winds 
abate; but, instead of this, the storm seemed to increase, 
and with it our danger. Most of the natives sat down 
in the bottom of the boat; and, under the influence of 
fear, either shut their eyes, or covered them with their 
hands, expecting every moment that the waves would 
close over us. We were not unconscious of our perilous 
