Page:The crater; or, Vulcan's peak.djvu/301

OR, VULCAN S PEAK. 61 Robert with a great appearance of calmness, though she felt the separation keenly. A quiet, warm-hearted woman, she had made her husband very happy; and Bob was quite sensible of her worth. But to him the sea was a home, and he regarded a voyage round the world much as a countryman would look upon a trip to market. He saw his wife always in the vista created by his imagination, but she was at the end of the voyage. At the appointed hour, the Rancocus sailed, Brown and Watties going down with her in the Neshamony as far as Betto s group, in order to bring back the latest intelligence of her proceedings. The governor now got Ooroony to assemble his priests and chiefs, and to pronounce a taboo on all intercourse with the whites for one year. At the end of that time, he promised to return, and to bring with him presents that should render every one glad to welcome him back. Even Waally was included in these arrange ments ; and when Mark finally sailed, it was with a strong hope that in virtue of the taboo, of Ooroony s power, and of his rival s sagacity, he might rely on the colony s meet ing with no molestation during his absence. The reader will see that the Peak and Reef would be in a very de fenceless condition, were it not for the schooner. By means of that vessel, under the management of Brown, as sisted by Wattles, Socrates and Unus, it is true, a fleet of canoes might be beaten off; but any accident to the Abra ham would be very likely to prove fatal to the colony, in the event of an invasion. Instructions were given to Heaton to keep the schooner moving about, and particularly to make a trip as often as once in two months, to Ooroony s country, in order to look after the state of things there. The pretence was to be trade beads, hatchets, and old iron being taken each time, in exchange for sandal-wood ; but the principal object was to keep an eye on the move ments, and to get an insight into the policy, of the savages After taking in a very considerable quantity of sandal wood, and procuring eight active assistants from Ooroony the Rancocus got under way for Canton. By the Nesna mony, which saw her into the offing, letters were sent back to the Reef, when the governor squared away for his oort. At the end of fifty days, the ship reached Canton, where a VOL. II. 6