the whole crowd, including the Kanakas, emerge
from the grog-shop plentifully supplied with bottles, and, seating
themselves on the beach, commence their carouse. The natives evinced the
greatest eagerness to get drunk, swallowing down the horrible "square
gin" as if it were water. They passed with the utmost rapidity through
all the stages of drunkenness. Before they had been ashore an hour,
most of them were lying like logs, in the full blaze of the sun, on the
beach. Seeing this, the captain suggested the advisability of bringing
them on board at once, as they were only exposed to robbery by the few
prowling Maories that loafed about the beach--a curious contrast to the
stately fellows met with in other parts of New Zealand.

So we set to work, and brought them on board again, handing them over to
their compatriots by way of warning against similar excesses, although,
it must be confessed, that they were hardly to blame, with the example
of their more civilized shipmates before their eyes. Sam was energetic
in his condemnation of both the Kanakas for getting drunk, and the
captain for giving them any money wherewith to do so. The remainder
of the watch fortunately concluded their carouse without any serious
disorder. A few bruises bestowed upon one another, more in clumsy
horseplay than real fighting summed up the casualties among them. By ten
o'clock that evening we had them all safely on board again, ready for
sore heads and repentance in the morning.

During the day I had evolved a scheme, which I had great hopes of
carrying out when our watch should be let loose on the morrow. When
morning came, and the liberty men received their money, I called them
together and unfolded my plan. Briefly, I proposed a sort of picnic at a
beautiful spot discovered during our wooding expedition. I was surprised
and very pleased at the eager way in which all, with the sole exceptions
of Tui and his fellow-harpooner, a Portuguese, fell in with my
suggestions. Without any solicitation on my part, my Kanakas brought me
their money, begging me to expend it for them, as they did not know how,
and did not want to buy gin.

Under such favourable auspices as these, we landed shortly after eight
a.m., making a bee-line for the only provision shop the place boasted.
Here we laid in a stock of such savouries as we had long been strangers
to, both eatables and drinkables, although I vetoed fire-water
altogether. Beer in bottle was substitute