ht shudder, as if from immersion in cold
water. He was now overwhelmed by the woman and elder child with
entreaties not to take such a rash step, and their rude eloquence
succeeded.

It was amusing to see the struggle between fear and curiosity plainly
depicted in the man's face, as he stood with one foot on the boat, and
the other on the shore, hearkening but too credulously to the picture of
danger, forcibly drawn by his friends, while curiosity, with almost equal
strength, was urging him to dare the perils of the white man's boat.

A desire to be better acquainted with the strangers who had come to the
shores of his native land in a large bird--such being their strange idea
of a ship, the sails forming the wings--no doubt materially influenced
him; but the eloquence of his relatives prevailed over all; and this
interesting interview terminated by our leaving the shore without our
sable friend, who, however, promised to visit the ship in an old bark
canoe, about 20 feet long, that was lying on the beach near at hand. This
promise was faithfully kept, for the same evening, a canoe was seen
paddling off, containing two young natives in addition to the old man.
They stopped at some distance from the ship, moving round to view her on
all sides.

ATTEMPT TO ENTICE NATIVES ON BOARD.

Fearing at last that their courage had failed, and that they would not
come on board, the dinghy, our smallest boat, was sent towards them,
there being only a boy besides myself in it.

I had hoped that thus they would not be frightened, but they instantly
began to move towards the shore, and it required some manoeuvring to get
near them; succeeding at length, however, I found my acquaintance of the
morning anxious to go to the ship, a measure the other two did not at all
approve of, as they kept edging away towards the land, whilst I gave the
old man the presents I had brought him. At one time the dinghy got
between the canoe and the shore, when instantly a gleam of terror flashed
across the faces of the young men. One of them was a large square-headed
fellow of ferocious aspect, whose countenance was lit up by a look of
fierce revenge, as the canoe made towards the land, after I had ceased my
endeavours to entice them on board.

Whatever these people may have imagined to be our motive in wishing them
to visit the ship, I little thought that my pressing them would have so
nearly led to fatal results. I shall proceed to explain this remar