As most of the goods on board the "S——l" were under bond, we were anxious to reach Sud-Est before the arrival of the Government and get rid of a quantity before duties could be levied.
Having got everything ship-shape and still no sign of the Hygeia, Captain S——g went to the Government Agent at Samarai, Mr. Edelfelt, an ignorant foreigner, and asked him for his clearance for Sud-Est. The agent very impolitely refused to grant it, stating that, as the Hygeia was expected every moment, it would be necessary for us to pay duty on everything before we could obtain a clearance.
What an absurdity! Fancy paying duty before knowing what the duties were, or having had any official intimation of them! We distinctly refused to grant this request, and demanded our clearance, as our sails were all unfurled and everything ready for a start. We then went on board our cutter, telling the agent we would give him an hour to reconsider his decision.
In about an hour and a half we received a letter from him, in which he defied us to leave without a clearance, and stating that if we did so we should have to take the consequences. Seeing that nothing was to be gained by arguing with such a man, [ [1] ] orders were at once given to let go; the sails were hoisted and away we went without the coveted clearance, as we had lost quite enough time as it was. We touched at Sariba to take in water and left the same evening for Sud-Est. No sooner had we got abreast of the Island of Doini (Blanchard), six miles distant, than the Hygeia, from Port Moresby, hove in sight, bound for Samarai.
She only stayed two hours in port, when she hurriedly left for Sud-Est. As she was a smart sailer, and of 60 to 70 tons burthen, she passed us during the following night, reaching Sud-Est two days in advance of us. The Administrator had, of course, been duly informed by the agent, Mr. Edelfelt, of our reprehensible conduct in leaving without his august sanction.
The trip to Sud-Est was most enjoyable, the weather being everything that could be desired. We kept inside the Long Reef, passing Teste Island on our right. We were never more than half a day out of sight of land.
We had to pass through a perfect network of reefs and islands—islands of tropical beauty, covered with succulent grasses, and smiling groves of palms bending beneath the weight of their luscious fruit.
Every now and then a large canoe, filled with dusky forms, would shoot out from an adjacent island and pay us a flying visit.
We had a tow line astern with a hook covered with a piece of red and white calico, and every day we hauled up a couple of splendid fish, sometimes a king fish, at other times a sea salmon. We ate what we could and dried the remainder, cutting them into strips and hanging them in the rigging.
After passing Brooker Island, we entered the Sud-Est Barrier, and the next night anchored off Grassy Island, as just here the reefs are very numerous, making it unsafe to travel at night.