Unfortunately, to
the ordinary sailor-man, the place presented no other forms of
amusement besides drinking, and I was grieved to see almost the
whole crowd, including the Kanakas, emerge from the grog-shop
plentifully supplied with bottles, and, seating themselves on the
beach, commence their carouse. The natives evinced the greatest
eagerness to get drunk, swallowing down the horrible "square gin"
as if it were water. They passed with the utmost rapidity
through all the stages of drunkenness. Before they had been
ashore an hour, most of them were lying like logs, in the full
blaze of the sun, on the beach. Seeing this, the captain
suggested the advisability of bringing them on board at once, as
they were only exposed to robbery by the few prowling Maories
that loafed about the beach--a curious contrast to the stately
fellows met with in other parts of New Zealand.
So we set to work, and brought them on board again, handing them
over to their compatriots by way of warning against similar
excesses, although, it must be confessed, that they were hardly
to blame, with the example of their more civilized shipmates
before their eyes. Sam was energetic in his condemnation of both
the Kanakas for getting drunk, and the captain for giving them
any money wherewith to do so.
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