I was now to see a further development of these mining instruments. We winged our way to a part of the coast which was farthest from the surrounding islands and most easily protected from invaders by the storm-cone. I noticed the exceptional lowness of the sandy beach, as shelving as that on which I had originally landed; there were none of the great bastions of rock which, moulded with such symmetry of terrace and escarpment, barred off all landing on the island. We directed our course far up the mountain and alighted on a rocky platform overlooking the sea. The new apparatus had been sent after us in a faleena and was now placed in position. A cylinder was erected on the ground and attached by machinery to wires and pipes that had been laid from the centre of force. But this was unlike the old leomoran in having the mouth tightly closed, and I soon saw the principle on which the new perforator was to work. The air was exhausted in the cylinder, and then a powerful stream of electricity was made to pass through a piston constructed of innumerable wires which kept moving with lightning rapidity over the surface of the rock at the bottom. The success of the experiment soon manifested itself; for, as soon as a spring was touched, a valve that separated the end of a projecting tube from the air-tight cylinder was opened, and out streamed a dense column into the atmosphere above. The spring was afterwards managed automatically so that as soon as the red-hot electric piston had eroded enough of the rock and volatilised it, the valve sprang open, and the moment the vapour and smoke had all escaped, it was shut, and the air was immediately exhausted.