form of aquatic birds, swimming
and diving in every direction. I now began to suspect, that it was an
enchanted island, and not forgetting the lesson of the Golden Fountain,
I made all sail, and we soon left it out of sight astern. I think it
right to state to your highness, that on mentioning this circumstance to
an Englishman, who had been employed in the spermaceti whale fishery, he
asserted that they really were birds, called Patagonian penguins, who
had often deceived others by their martial appearance. He stated that
they had no wings, but only flappers, and when on shore, invariably
stood upright like men in ranks--that they were about three or four feet
high when in this posture, and had two broad yellow streaks on each side
of their necks. How far his assertions were true I do not know, for the
people of that country, who have doubled the Cape, consider themselves
entitled to tell any falsehoods which they think proper, and to shoot
you if you venture to express a doubt as to their veracity: one of my
chief reasons for disliking the English is, that they are such
abominable liars.

We now steered more to the southward, and in three days discovered
another small island. It was apparently well wooded, although not
large. We hove-to, to windward of it, and not perceiving any
inhabitants, I lowered down a boat, and sent the first mate on shore to
reconnoitre. He returned in an hour, informing me that the island was
covered with cocoa-nut trees in full bearing, and that he had seen
several wild pigs, but no symptoms of its being inhabited--that there
was no anchorage that he could discover, as the shore rose
perpendicularly, like a wall, from the ocean. We therefore ran to
leeward, and discovered that a reef of coral rocks extended nearly two
miles from that side of the island. The boats were again lowered; and
after surveying, the mate reported that there was a passage, with plenty
of water for the ship, through the very centre of the reef, which would
bring her into a small bay, where she might lay in perfect security.
Before night we had gained the anchorage, and furled sails. The next
morning I went on shore to reconnoitre; we found some springs of fresh
water, cocoa-nuts and other trees in abundance, and occasionally fell in
with herds of wild pigs, which appeared, with the exception of birds, to
be the only animals that existed upon the island. Satisfied that I now
had an opportunity of revictualli