having rounded the point we soon found ourselves again in the broken
water outside the lagoon, where the race of the tide and the overfall
were now much more violent than they had been when we landed. If we
had once been drawn into the current, we should have stood a good
chance of being knocked to pieces on the coral reefs, strong as our
boat was; but the danger was happily avoided, and we reached the yacht
safely, much to Tom's relief.

The natives did not exhibit the slightest curiosity about us during
our visit to the island, and though they received us with courtesy,
and assisted us as far as they could on our arrival and departure,
they did not follow us about while on shore, nor, with the exception
of one or two of them, did they take the trouble to walk across the
point to see us get into the open sea and join the yacht. In this
respect they might have given a lesson to many civilised people, so
gentle, genial, and graceful, yet dignified, were their manners.

The screw having been feathered and the sails set, our voyage was at
once resumed. A few miles from where we had landed, we saw, high and
dry on the coral reef skirting the island, a large square-built
schooner, of about 500 tons, her masts gone, her hull bleached white
by the sun, and a great hole in her side. She was on the inside of the
reef, and must therefore either have drifted there from the lagoon, or
else have been lifted bodily across by one of the big Pacific rollers,
in some terrible storm. No doubt the iron knee we had seen on the
island originally formed part of this vessel.

_Wednesday, November 29th_.--We seem to have got into the real
south-east trades, just as the chart tells us we ought to expect to
lose them; for there was a strong fair breeze all day, which made it