For of such is the paradise of the beach-comber, and the hell of
the clean man. Not that I have been able to escape it
altogether. When I say that I once shipped, unwittingly, as
sailing-master of a little white schooner in Noumea, bound to
Apia, finding when too late that she was a "blackbirder"--"labour
vessel," the wise it call--nothing more will be needed to
convince the initiated that I have moved in the "nine circles" of
Polynesia.
Some time before the day fixed for our departure, we were busy
storing the gifts so liberally showered upon us by our eager
friends. Hundreds of bunches of bananas, many thousands of
oranges, yams, taro, chillies, fowls, and pigs were accumulated,
until the ship looked like a huge market-boat. But we could not
persuade any of the natives to ship with us to replace those
whoso contract was now expiring. Samuela and Polly were, after
much difficulty, prevailed upon by me to go with us to New
Zealand, much to my gratification; but still we were woefully
short-handed, At last, seeing that there was no help for it, the
skipper decided to run over to Futuna, or Horn Island, where he
felt certain of obtaining recruits without any trouble. He did
so most unwillingly, as may well be believed, for the newcomers
would need much training, while our present Kanaka auxiliaries
were the smartest men in the ship.
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