ht with us our fishing-hooks and lines, and whenever the
breeze was moderate, we used to throw them out, and seldom passed an
hour without catching some fish. This afforded a pleasant and wholesome
change to our diet, and economised our provisions. Our progress was
slow, and we were unable to ascertain how long the voyage was likely to
last. Hitherto we had enjoyed only the finest weather; the wind had
always been favourable, and even the strongest breeze which had wafted
us along had only covered the ocean with a brisk ripple.

I mentioned that one of the missionaries spoke a few words of English.
So great was his desire to acquire a further knowledge of the language,
that all day long he was engaged in learning it from one or other of us.
He first obtained a large vocabulary of substantives. These he noted
down in a pocket-book which he cherished with great care, and then he
began upon verbs. These are more difficult to obtain, when neither
master nor pupil understands the other's language. However, by dint of
various signs, he obtained a good number, of which he began very soon to
make use. We got on talking by degrees, till we really did understand
each other very fairly. By degrees we gleaned from him the following
narrative:--

He and his companions belonged to an island in the neighbourhood of
Otaheite, all the inhabitants of which, from the teaching of some
missionaries, had embraced with joy the Christian faith. From living in
a state of constant warfare, no one for a moment knowing if his life was
safe from the assaults of his fellow-islanders, they had all become
peaceable and contented, life and property being as secure as in any
part of the world. The missionaries had taught them many useful arts,
and had introduced into the island many vegetables, and a variety of
fruits, with some few animals; so that they had now a constant and ample
supply of all the necessaries of life.

Highly valuing all the blessings they enjoyed, they heard that there
were some islands lying far away to the west, the inhabitants of which
were still ignorant savages. Some of their people had occasionally
visited them in trading-vessels, and some of their canoes had, it was
said, formerly gone there occasionally. At all events, they believed
that the inhabitants understood their language. If, then, some of their
people had ventured so far for the sake of gain, much more did it behove
them to go there for an object ines