Fishing Junks.—New Companions.—Stove Boat, yet good Luck.—Heavy Gales.—Bashee Islands.—Loo Choos.—The “Reaper” again.—Whaling Ship “Jireh Perry.”—Ship “Alabama.”—“Gamming.”—Ship “Roscoe.”—A Cure for “Bruisers.”—Ship “E. L. B. Jenney.”—Bark “Empress.”—Ormsby’s Peak.—Bonin Islands.—Turtles.—Peel’s Island.—A narrow Escape.— Bonin Island Inhabitants.—Japan Expedition.—An old Shipmate.— Another Runaway.—Fourth of July Celebration.—Ship “Rambler.”—Ship “Hope.”—Parting with an old Friend.—Fishing.—The last Lowering.— Bound for the Sandwich Islands.—Maui and Molokai.—Lahaina.—Anchor down.—Description of Lahaina.—King’s Palace.—Lahainaluna.—Rules and Regulations.—Sports and Pastimes.—Letters from Home.— Productions of Maui.—Captain M‘Culloch.—Sad News.—Death of Stoddard.—Voracity of the Shark.—Kanaka Church.—Small-pox. Thursday morning, March 3d, saw us clear of the land, with no wind, and enveloped in a thick fog. At noon the fog commenced rising, and as it continued slowly, exposed to our view a swarm of fishing junks. This did not create a very pleasant feeling in our midst, as we well knew that many of the so-called fishing junks were only pirates in disguise. One of them sent a boat with some fish, which we purchased, and then sent him off, as we did not like his appearance. It was still calm, and all hands were “whistling for a breeze,” which soon came, and before evening we were bowling it off at the rate of nine knots. We had forgotten to mention that while in port we shipped two men, an officer and a boat-steerer. The officer, Mr. M., was a _windy_, braggadocio fellow, not over-stocked with common sense, whom all hands learned soon to hate and despise. The other, Davy, the boat-steerer, was a Frenchman, a very quiet, easy fellow, not at all inclined to kill himself with hard work. We had been but a few days from port, and while yet in the China Sea, when the glad cry was heard, “T-h-e-r-e she b-l-o-w-s.” As this was our _last cruise_, it can be easily imagined how “eager for the fray” we were. Down went the boats, the men following, feeling decidedly _fishy_. The larboard and starboard boats soon fastened, and killed their whales with but little trouble; but not so with the bow boat. Our new officer must needs “show off” his skill, and, after fastening to his whale, drove the boat completely on to him, when he turned, and commenced very coolly chewing the boat to pieces. This was very unfortunate, as the waist boat, which was nearly up to a fourth whale, was necessarily obliged to go to the relief of the stove boat. The wounded whale fortunately received the harpoon in a vital part, and soon “turned up,” so that we got three whales, which was not a bad commencement for the cruise.