on the noble little vessel with its
precious freight struggling and trembling in their grasp.

The following morning the storm had quite abated, but the sea was such
as can be seen only in mid-ocean. Our little ship (she was only 700
tons) appeared such an atom in comparison with the enormous mountains of
water. At one moment we would be perched on the summit of a wave,
seemingly hundreds of feet high, and immediately below a terrible abyss
into which we were on the point of sinking; the next we would be placed
between two mountains of water which seemed going to engulf us.

I always took a place with the sailors on emergencies, to give a hand at
hauling the ropes, and got to be fairly expert at climbing into the
rigging. The rope-hauling was done to some chant started by the
boatswain or one of the sailors--this is necessary to ensure that the
united strength of the pullers is exerted at the same moment. One of the
chants I well remember. It was:--

"_Haul_ a bowlin', the 'Mary Anne's' a-_rollin'_.
_Haul_ a bowlin', a bowlin' _haul_;
_Haul_ a bowlin', the good ship's a-_rollin'_;
_Haul_ a bowlin', a bowlin' _haul_."

The chant is sung out in stentorian notes by the leader, and on the word
in italics every man joins in a tremendous and united pull.

Crowds of Cape pigeons and albatrosses accompanied us all across the
South Pacific. These birds never seem to tire and but rarely rest on the
water, except when they swoop down and settle a moment to pick up
something that has been thrown overboard; this is quickly devoured, and
they are again in pursuit. The albatrosses, some white, some grey, and
some almost black, are huge birds; some that we shot, and for which the
boat was sent, measured nine feet from tip to tip of wings.

On August 1st we rounded Stewart's Island, the southern-most of the New
Zealand group. It is little more than a barren rock, and was not then
inhabited, whatever it may be now. Although it was the winter season,
and the latitude corresponded to that of the North of England, we
remarked how mild and dry was the atmosphere in comparison. Indeed the
weather was glorious and seemed to welcome us to the land we were coming
to.

On the 3rd of August we sighted the coast of Canterbury, and at daylight
on the 4th we found ourselves lying becalmed about 12 miles off Port
Lyttelton Heads, from whence the captain signalled for a pilot steamer
to take the ship to harbour. In the