Page:An account of the natives of the Tonga Islands.djvu/364

298 29S TRANSAC'J'IONS AT hopes that he should be able to fulfil a promise he had made to Toobo mo Lak^pa the Prince's favourite wife (whose situation required a few indulgences) to bring her some of this sort of fish. The spot was just upon the perpendi- cular declivity of a shelf of rocks. Having come up to take breath with the intention of going down a second time, he saw with terror the dorsal fin of a shark gliding swiftly along the surface of the water directly towards him ; he instantly clambered upon the reef and sprung on one side ; in a moment after the deadly enemy, coming with impetuosity, rushed upon the shelf (in a foot and a half water) within a yard of him, and had some difficulty to get off again. As soon as he had recovered from his consternation, for at first he scarcely knew where he was, he quickly got off the reef, mak- ing very strong resolutions to avoid for the future a personal search after cray-fish in such situations. About a month after this a canoe came from one of the neighbouring small islands, bringing intelligence that a large dead spermaceti whale had drifted on a reef, off Vavaoo. Immedi- ately all the chiefs ordered their canoes to be launched, that they might witness this unusual sight ; and Mr. Mariner went along with them. They, fqund the whale in a very bad state, half