We travelled fully four knots an hour, the wind and current being nearly always in our favour.

It was, however, a painfully monotonous and trying experience to sit thus in the boat, cramped up as we were, day after day and night after night.

About the fifth day we sighted a small island--probably Barker Island, in the vicinity of Admiralty Gulf--and landed upon it at once solely for the purpose of stretching our aching limbs.

This little island was uninhabited, and covered to the very water's edge with dense tropical vegetation.

It was a perfectly exhilarating experience to walk about on real earth once more.