believe). We had scarce got round Mulinuu when Sale Taylor's
heart misgave him; he thought we had missed the tide; called
a halt, and set off ashore to find canoes. Two were found;
in one my mother and I were embarked with the two biscuit
tins (my present to the feast), and the bag with our dry
clothes, on which my mother was perched - and her cap was on
the top of it - feminine hearts please sympathise; all under
the guidance of Sale. In the other Belle and our guest;
Tauilo, a chief-woman, the mother of my cook, were to have
followed. And the boys were to have been left with the boat.
But Tauilo refused. And the four, Belle, Tauilo, Frank the
sailor-boy, and Jimmie the Tongan half-caste, set off in the
boat across that rapidly shoaling bay of the lagoon.

How long the next scene lasted, I could never tell. Sale was
always trying to steal away with our canoe and leave the
other four, probably for six hours, in an empty, leaky boat,
without so much as an orange or a cocoanut on board, and
under the direct rays of the sun. I had at last to stop him
by taking the spare paddle off the out-rigger and sticking it
in the ground - depth, perhaps two feet - width of the bay,
say three miles. At last I bid him land me and my mother and
go back for the other ladies. 'The coast is so rugged,' said
Sale. - 'What?' I said, 'all these villages and no landing
place?' - 'Such is the nature of Samoans,' said he. Well,
I'll find a landing-place, I thought; and presently I said,
'Now we are going to land there.' - 'We can but try,' said
the bland Sale, with resignation. Never saw a better
landing-place in my life. Here the boat joined us. My
mother and Sale continued in the canoe alone, and Belle and I