he water's edge. As we were not aware at the time of the
treacherous character of the natives, while the schooner was hove to,
Charlie and I, with four men as a crew, pulled off in the gig, hoping to
open up an intercourse with them. We were well armed with muskets,
pistols, and boarding-pikes, in case we should be attacked. On
approaching the reef, we saw a number of canoes floating in the lagoon,
each containing three men. We found, however, that we could not get
over the reef, but we saw the people on the beach waving green branches,
inviting us to come on shore. We accordingly pulled in, believing that
we should meet with a friendly reception. As, however, we got near, the
savages commenced yelling and dancing in a curious fashion.

"They wish to do us honour, I suppose," said Charlie. "It will be wise,
however, not to trust them too much."

We pulled on till we got to within a hundred yards of the beach.

"Look out; they mean mischief!" I shouted; and scarcely were the words
out of my mouth when a flight of arrows came whistling towards us,
though, fortunately, they fell short of our boat. In vain we tried to
make the natives understand that our object was peaceable, by waving
white handkerchiefs, and holding up our hands without exhibiting our
weapons. This only made them yell and dance more furiously than before.
We might have shot down a number of the natives, but we did not for a
moment think of doing that, and therefore at once returned to the
schooner.

We now continued our course until, towards evening, we came in sight of
a lofty mountain, rising in a conical form out of the ocean. On turning
our glasses towards its summit, we could see dense volumes of smoke and
flame issuing forth, and as it lay in our course, and the wind was fair,
we passed close to it. When darkness came on, the whole summit of the
mountain appeared to be a mass of fire. Harry summoned Mary and Fanny,
who had gone below, on deck to enjoy the magnificent spectacle. Now
flames would shoot forth, rising high in the air; and then the
incandescent lava, flowing over the edge of the crater, would come
rushing down the slope of the mountain, finally to disappear in the sea.
Then again all was tolerably quiet. Now we heard a loud rumbling
noise, and presently the lava bubbled up once more, to plunge as before
down the mountain-side.

"I'm very glad we are no nearer," observed Nat. "Suppose we were to be
driven by a gale of