cluded to take up their lodging for the night, which they did, without any interruption, having made a large fire round them. On the morrow, they mounted one of the large rocks, and taking a fresh survey, they could see the mangroves and low country clear out to sea, which they supposed to be about five miles distance. Having thus satisfied their curiosity, they returned home to make a report of their expedition.

CHAP. XXXV.

TWENTY SECOND YEAR OF MY RESIDENCE.

I HAD now been on this shore twenty one years and two months, when a very uncommon event happened, of which I shall give a plain and faithful narrative. One day as Bell and I were out in the bay, fishing for our pleasure, he observed to me that it was somewhat odd I had never expressed any desire to visit his new northern discovery, as he was sure it could be easily accomplished by sea. I told him I really had a wish to go there, and that I hoped speedily to put it in execution, but that

we must leave some one at home to protect the family during our absence.

"Well then," said he, "you and Harry can go; I will remain at home; he can stand pilot, and will, I am sure, steer you to the place."

I determined to make this expedition, and when we came in, intimated as much to my brother Harry, who was much pleased with the thought of accompanying me, and said he could hit the place exactly. I desired him to get one of our best boats ready, and all other matters needful for our excursion.

About two days after we put down the lagoon, and got the length of Tower's Field by two o'clock in the afternoon, weathered Whale Point, and got the whole length of Boom-bay in the evening. Here we put up for the night. In the morning we put to sea again, in order to get round a long point. We now opened a new scene

of country. Along this shore we ran at the rate of about five knots an hour. Harry concluded we should soon see the cliffs from the sea; but we coasted the shore, till by my judgment we were at least eight leagues from our own bay, and had thoughts of returning back, just as we were abreast of a high bluff point of land full of tall trees. Here we proposed to go on shore and stay for the night, and make our way back early the next morning. After we had landed, and made a good fire, it being towards evening, Harry mounted a tree, and looking about him, said, we were not above a mile from the lagoon, for that he saw the cliffs quite plain.

"Then let us make up a tent for the night," said I," and in the morning we will go round the point, if the wind stands."

The next morning we got round by sun rise, but not a sign of any lagoon could I

see at all. When we got about a mile further, I saw something like the mouth of a small lagoon, which I should not have given myself the trouble to enter, had not Harry spied at a distance the tops of the cliffs between the bushes. We put in, and found a narrow pass for the space of a mile or só, not more than a ship's length wide, and very crooked; it then opened into a much longer space, and the water was above three fathoms deep. We now met with another straight for a short length, and all at once we opened a lake at least a mile or more across, surrounded by a stony flat shore. This ran back half a mile or more, then began to rise a most tremendous mass of rocks, cliffs, and huge fallen stones. As we were viewing this scene, I took up my glass, and had not held it long to my eye, before I cried out to Harry, in great surprise, that I saw a black man, or some wild creature resembling a