Upon
      mentioning this project to the chief he seemed very willing to
      enter into an agreement. A bargain was accordingly struck,
      perfectly satisfactory to both parties, by which it was arranged
      that, after making the necessary preparations, such as laying off
      the proper grounds, erecting a portion of the buildings, and
      doing some other work in which the whole of our crew would be
      required, the schooner should proceed on her route, leaving three
      of her men on the island to superintend the fulfilment of the
      project, and instruct the natives in drying the _biche de mer_. In regard to terms, these were made to depend upon the exertions
      of the savages in our absence. They were to receive a stipulated
      quantity of blue beads, knives, red cloth, and so forth, for
      every certain number of piculs of the _biche de mer_ which should
      be ready on our return. A description of the nature of this important article of
      commerce, and the method of preparing it, may prove of some
      interest to my readers, and I can find no more suitable place
      than this for introducing an account of it. The following
      comprehensive notice of the substance is taken from a modern
      history of a voyage to the South Seas. “It is that _mollusca_ from the Indian Seas which is known to
      commerce by the French name _bouche de mer_ (a nice morsel from
      the sea). If I am not much mistaken, the celebrated Cuvier calls
      it _gasteropeda pulmonifera_. It is abundantly gathered in the
      coasts of the Pacific islands, and gathered especially for the
      Chinese market, where it commands a great price, perhaps as much
      as their much-talked-of edible birds’ nests, which are properly
      made up of the gelatinous matter picked up by a species of
      swallow from the body of these molluscae. They have no shell, no
      legs, nor any prominent part, except an _absorbing_ and an
      _excretory_, opposite organs; but, by their elastic wings, like
      caterpillars or worms, they creep in shallow waters, in which,
      when low, they can be seen by a kind of swallow, the sharp bill
      of which, inserted in the soft animal, draws a gummy and
      filamentous substance, which, by drying, can be wrought into the
      solid walls of their nest. Hence the name of _gasteropeda
      pulmonifera_. “This mollusca is oblong, and of different sizes, from three to
      eighteen inches in length; and I have seen a few that were not
      less than two feet long. They were nearly round, a little
      flattish on one side, which lies next to the bottom of the sea;
      and they are from one to eight inches thick. They crawl up into
      shallow water at particular seasons of the year, probably for the
      purpose of gendering, as we often find them in pairs. It is when
      the sun has the most power on the water, rendering it tepid, that
      they approach the shore; and they often go up into places so
      shallow that, on the tide’s receding, they are left dry, exposed
      to the beat of the sun. But they do not bring forth their young
      in shallow water, as we never see any of their progeny, and
      full-grown ones are always observed coming in from deep water. They feed principally on that class of zoophytes which produce
      the coral. “The _biche de mer_ is generally taken in three or four feet of
      water; after which they are brought on shore, and split at one
      end with a knife, the incision being one inch or more, according
      to the size of the mollusca. Through this opening the entrails
      are forced out by pressure, and they are much like those of any
      other small tenant of the deep. The article is then washed, and
      afterward boiled to a certain degree, which must not be too much
      or too little. They are then buried in the ground for four hours,
      then boiled again for a short time, after which they are dried,
      either by the fire or the sun. Those cured by the sun are worth
      the most; but where one picul (133 1/3 lbs.) can be cured that
      way, I can cure thirty piculs by the fire. When once properly
      cured, they can be kept in a dry place for two or three years
      without any risk; but they should be examined once in every few
      months, say four times a year, to see if any dampness is likely
      to affect them. “The Chinese, as before stated, consider _biche de mer_ a very
      great luxury, believing that it wonderfully strengthens and
      nourishes the system, and renews the exhausted system of the
      immoderate voluptuary. The first quality commands a high price in
      Canton, being worth ninety dollars a picul; the second quality,
      seventy-five dollars; the third, fifty dollars; the fourth,
      thirty dollars; the fifth, twenty dollars; the sixth, twelve
      dollars; the seventh, eight dollars; and the eighth, four
      dollars; small cargoes, however, will often bring more in
      Manilla, Singapore, and Batavia.”

      An agreement having been thus entered into, we proceeded
      immediately to land everything necessary for preparing the
      buildings and clearing the ground. A large flat space near the
      eastern shore of the bay was selected, where there was plenty of
      both wood and water, and within a convenient distance of the
      principal reefs on which the _biche de mer_ was to be procured. We now all set to work in good earnest, and soon, to the great
      astonishment of the savages, had felled a sufficient number of
      trees for our purpose, getting them quickly in order for the
      framework of the houses, which in two or three days were so far
      under way that we could safely trust the rest of the work to the
      three men whom we intended to leave behind. These were John
      Carson, Alfred Harris, and ___ Peterson (all natives of London, I
      believe), who volunteered their services in this respect. By the last of the month we had everything in readiness for
      departure. We had agreed, however, to pay a formal visit of
      leave-taking to the village, and Too-wit insisted so
      pertinaciously upon our keeping the promise that we did not think
      it advisable to run the risk of offending him by a final refusal. I believe that not one of us had at this time the slightest
      suspicion of the good faith of the savages. They had uniformly
      behaved with the greatest decorum, aiding us with alacrity in our
      work, offering us their commodities, frequently without price,
      and never, in any instance, pilfering a single article, although
      the high value they set upon the goods we had with us was evident
      by the extravagant demonstrations of joy always manifested upon
      our making them a present.