the taking of the lunars. On our voyage out I had no duties to
perform on board, but I found much to interest myself in the
beautiful tropical islands among which we threaded our way; and I
took quite a childish delight in everything I saw. It was really a
grand time for me. I constantly wrote home to my mother, the last
letter I forwarded to her being from Koopang. Occasionally we
landed on one of the islands to buy fresh provisions, in the shape
of fowls, pigs, fruit, &c. We then set sail for the coast of New
Guinea. The voyage thence was accomplished without the slightest
hitch, the divers spending most of their time in singing and
playing like little children,--all in the best of good spirits.
Their favourite form of amusement was to sit round a large fire,
either telling stories of the girls they had left behind, or
singing love melodies. When the weather was at all cold, they
would make a fire in a rather shallow tub, the sides of which were
lined with a layer of sand. They were a wonderfully light-hearted
lot of fellows, and I greatly enjoyed listening to their chants and
yarns. I was more often with them than in Jensen's company, and it
did not take me long to pick up bits of their language.

The Veielland only drew between seven feet and eight feet of water,
so that we were able to venture very close in-shore whenever it was
necessary. At length, about a month after starting, we reached a
likely spot where the captain thought that the precious shells
might be found; here we anchored, and the divers quickly got to
work. I ought to have mentioned that we carried a large whale-
boat, and about half-a-dozen frail little "shell" boats for the use
of the divers.

The comings and goings of the various pearling expeditions were of