Page:Enterprise and Adventure.djvu/75

---

adventures have thus been told by an American traveller. While enjoying these hopes, the English ship "General Wellesley" touched at a point of New Zealand where Bruce and his wife then chanced to be. This was at some distance from the king's place of residence. Captain Dalrymple, the commander of this vessel, applied to Mr. Bruce to assist him in procuring a cargo of spars and other things, and requested specimens of the various products of the country, all of which requests were cheerfully complied with. He then proposed to Bruce to accompany him to North Cape, distant about seventy or eighty miles, where it was reported the gold dust could be procured, and the captain imagined that the authority of Bruce would prove useful to him in his search. After many entreaties, Bruce consented to accompany Captain Dalrymple under assurances of being safely brought back. He accordingly embarked with his wife on board the "General Wellesley," representing at the same time to Captain Dalrymple the dangerous consequences of taking the king's daughter from the island; but that fear was removed by his solemn and repeated assurances that he would at every hazard reland them at the Bay Island, the place from which they embarked. Being at length all on board, the "Wellesley" sailed for the North Cape, where they soon arrived and landed. Finding that they had been misinformed as to the gold dust, the "Wellesley" made sail in order to return to New Zealand, but the wind becoming foul, and continuing so for forty-eight hours, they were driven from the island. On the third day the wind became more favourable, but Captain Dalrymple did not attempt to regain the island, but stood on for India.