Three weeks later I opened the bag again, and out flew millions of winged insects! Manuel's potatoes had all turned to moths.

I tied them up quickly and threw all into the sea.
Manuel had a large crop of potatoes on hand, and as a hint to whalemen, who are always eager to buy vegetables, he wished me to report whales off the island of Juan Fernandez, which I have already done, and big ones at that, but they were a long way off.
Taking things by and large, as sailors say, I got on fairly well in the matter of provisions even on the long voyage across the Pacific.

I found always some small stores to help the fare of luxuries; what I lacked of fresh meat was made up in fresh fish, at least while in the trade-winds, where flying-fish crossing on the wing at night would hit the sails and fall on deck, sometimes two or three of them, sometimes a dozen.

Every morning except when the moon was large I got a bountiful supply by merely picking them up from the lee scuppers.

All tinned meats went begging.
On the 16th of July, after considerable care and some skill and hard work, the _Spray_ cast anchor at Apia, in the kingdom of Samoa, about noon.