The woodmen had a much more arduous task.  The only wood they could find, without cutting down big trees, which would have involved far too much labour in cutting up, was a kind of iron-wood, which, besides being very heavy, was so hard as to take pieces clean out of their axe-edges, when a blow was struck directly across the grain.  As none of them were experts, the condition of their tools soon made their work very hard.  But that they had taken several axes in reserve, it is doubtful whether they would have been able to get sufficient fuel for our purpose.  When they pitched the wood off the rocks into the harbour, it sank immediately, giving them a great deal of trouble to fish it up again.  Neither could they raft it as intended, but were compelled to load it into the boats and make several journeys to and fro before all they had cut was shipped.  Altogether, I was glad that the wooding had not fallen to my share.  On board the ship fishing had been going on steadily most of the day by a few hands told off for the purpose.  The result of their sport was splendid, over two hundred-weight of fine fish of various sorts, but all eatable, having been gathered in.

We lay snugly anchored all night, keeping a bright look-out for any unwelcome visitors either from land or sea, for the natives are not to be trusted, neither do the Arab mongrels who cruise about those waters in their dhows bear any too good a reputation.  We saw none, however, and at daylight we weighed and towed the ship out to sea with the boats, there being no wind.  While busy at this uninteresting pastime, one of the boats slipped away, returning presently with a fine turtle, which they had surprised during his morning’s nap.  One of the amphibious Portuguese slipped over the boat’s side as she neared the sleeping SPHARGA, and, diving deep, came up underneath him, seizing with crossed hands the two hind flippers, and, with a sudden, dexterous twist, turned the astonished creature over on his back.  Thus rendered helpless, the turtle lay on the surface feebly waving his flippers, while his captor, gently treading water, held him in that position till the boat reached the pair and took them on board.  It was a clever feat, neatly executed, as unlike the clumsy efforts I had before seen made with the same object as anything could possibly be.

After an hour’s tow, we had got a good offing, and a light air springing up, we returned on board, hoisted the boats, and made sail to the northward again.

With the exception of the numerous native dhows that crept lazily about, we saw no vessels as we gradually drew out of the Mozambique Channel and stood away towards the Line.  The part of the Indian Ocean in which we now found ourselves is much dreaded by merchantmen, who give it a wide berth on account of the numerous banks, islets, and dangerous currents with which it abounds.  We, however, seemed quite at home here, pursuing the even tenor of our usual