cargo was cleared,
and the ballast taken on board. All articles to which the French
troops are accustomed, such as flour, salted meat, potatoes, pulse,
wine, and a variety of others, have to be imported. {86}

I felt extremely reluctant to leave; and the only thing that tended
at all to cheer my spirits, was the thought of my speedy arrival in
China, that most wonderful of all known countries.

We left the port of Papeiti on the morning of the 17th of May, with
a most favourable wind, soon passed in safety all the dangerous
coral-reefs which surround the island, and in seven hours' time had
lost sight of it altogether. Towards evening, we beheld the
mountain ranges of the island of Huaheme, which we passed during the
night.

The commencement of our voyage was remarkably pleasant. Besides the
favourable breeze, which still continued, we enjoyed the company of
a fine Belgian brig, the Rubens, which had put to sea at the same
time as ourselves. It was seldom that we approached near enough for
the persons on board to converse with each other; but whoever is at
all acquainted with the endless uniformity of long voyages, will
easily understand our satisfaction at knowing we were even in the
neighbourhood of human beings.

We pursued the same track as far as the Philippine Islands, but on
the morning of the third day our companion had disappeared, leaving
us in ignorance whether she had out-sailed us or we her. We were
once more alone on the endless waste of waters.

On the 23rd of May, we approached very near to the low island of
Penchyn. A dozen or two of the natives were desirous of honouring
us with a visit, and pulled stoutly in six canoes towards our ship,
but we sailed so fast that they were soon left a long way behind.
Several of the sailors affirmed, that these were specimens of real
savages, and that we might reckon ourselves fortunate in having
escaped their visit. The captain, too, appeared to share this
opinion, and I was the only person who regretted not having formed a
more intimate acquaintance with them.

28th May. For some days we had been fortunate enough to be visited,
from time to time, with violent showers; a most remarkable thing for
the time of year in this climate, where the rainy season commences
in January and lasts for three months, the sky for the remaining
nine being generally cloudless. This present exception was the more
welcome from our being just on the Line, where we should