enjoined to
take such of his tools as might prove useful. One boat and the
jolly-boat had their barrels likewise filled with water, and each of us
was provided with our proportion of the same articles, except that we
had fewer arms or blankets; and indeed so small was our stowage room,
that we had to depend on the long-boat for some of our provisions.
While all these preparations were going forward, my sensations were far
from pleasant; for I could not help feeling that any moment the ship
might slide off into deep water, and carry us all down with her. The
captain thought differently, and nothing would hurry him. At length her
stern perceptibly sunk, and this was the signal for a general rush
towards the boats.

"Stay!" exclaimed the captain; "I tell you she will not go yet; and have
I not a right to know? There is plenty of time to get quietly into the
boats; you will be tired enough of them before you get out of them
again. We must see that we have left nothing we may want behind."

Fairburn volunteered for this duty, and one by one the men were told off
into the other boats. They then examined everything that was in the
boats; a few trifling articles were suggested as likely to prove useful;
we searched for them, and then took our places in the skiff. As we
pulled round under the bows, we could see, through the clear water, the
immense hole which the coral had made through the stout planking; at the
same time so securely hooked did she appear, that I doubt whether she
could have sunk unless the coral point on which she hung had broken off,
or the sea had knocked her to pieces.

In the hurry of getting into the boats at the last moment everybody had
forgotten poor Ungka, who was seen leaning over the bows looking most
imploringly and mournfully at us. Little Maria was the first to draw
our attention to him.

"Oh! Ungka, poor Ungka! we must not go without him," she exclaimed.

Her appeal was not to be resisted. We in the skiff, pulled back, and
Ungka, seizing a rope which hung from the bowsprit, lowered himself into
the boat, as we pulled under him. The other three monkeys, seeing where
he had gone, attempted to follow his example. One was in so great a
hurry that he fell into the water, but we picked him out; the other two
reached us without wetting their jackets. Ungka looked at them very
seriously, and seemed to think that they ought to have been left behind.
At Maria's solicitation, we sent Ungk