Land on Arden island.

Next day we passed Coconut Island on our right, and Dove Island on our left, and anchored near Arden Island, where we landed on the following morning before daylight with a seining party.  The place is scarcely more than a quarter of a mile in length, low and sandy, covered with tall bushes and a few clumps of trees (Pisonia grandis).  We saw traces—­but none very recent—­of visits paid by the natives, indicated by remains of fires, turtle bones, a large pit dug as a well, and two old graves.  As usual a coral reef extends from the shore, without leaving a clear spot of sufficient size to admit of the seine being hauled.  Species of Cissus and two or three Capparidae constituted the bulk of the vegetation, and rendered the low scrub almost impervious in many places.  A number of Torres Strait pigeons, chiefly young birds, and some stone-plovers and other waders, were shot, and one rare bird was obtained for the collection, a male of Pachycephala melanura.  Soon after our return we got underweigh, passed on our right Rennel, Marsden, and Keat Islands, and anchored three miles to the northward of the last of these.

Natives come on board.

December 10th.

While getting underweigh, a canoe with a party of natives from Stephens Island came off to us in a very confident manner, and at once called out for a rope (laga) with which they made fast to the ship.  Among them were two of the natives of Darnley Island, one of whom, Dzum, soon recognised me as an old acquaintance, under the name of Dzoka, by which I had formerly been known on shore during the Fly’s visits.  They had a few coconuts, and a little tortoise-shell for barter, and were very urgent that the ship should go to Campbell Island on her way to Darnley, promising us abundance of water, coconuts, yams, and tortoise-shell, of the first of which at least they could have had none to spare.  In the evening they left us, after spending the greater part of the day on board, with their canoe towing astern.  I found the native names of at least three of the islands to differ from those given in the Admiralty’s chart of Torres Strait from the Fly’s survey.  Thus Nepean Island is Edugor, not Oogar—­Stephens Island is Ugar and not Attagor—­and Campbell Island is Zapker (nearly as Lewis makes it) and not Jarmuth.  These names were obtained under circumstances which obviated the possibility of mistake.  Dzum also gave much information regarding other matters, and enabled me to fix the limits of the tribe to which he belonged, a matter which had frequently puzzled me before.  In the afternoon the Bramble—­as told to us by the natives—­appeared in sight, but we could not reach Darnley Island, so anchored after dark in forty-five fathoms, mud, seven miles to the northward of it.

December 11th.

A light air from the North-West carried us up to the anchorage in Treacherous Bay about noon.  A canoe from the village of Kiriam came off to us, and lay under our stern bartering tortoise-shell for knives, axes, and tobacco, and when we shoved off in the first cutter to communicate with the shore, one of the natives, on being asked to accompany us, jumped into the water without a moment’s hesitation, and swam to the boat.  We landed at Kiriam, and were received by a crowd of people on the rocks and in the water.