noon
He left the returned party and busied himself in seeing that all lights likely to be visible from outside were carefully extinguished and the men posted ready in case of an attack when the enemy had recovered from their fright ; but they had evidently received too great a shock to return that night , and at last half the men were sent below and later on several more , but the mate stayed on deck till morning came without there having been the slightest alarm . After a little consultation in the morning it was decided to lead out a strong well armed party to make sure whether the enemy was down by the lagoon , for the state of uncertainty seemed worse than the danger likely to be incurred in an advance and careful retreat . The mate determined to go himself , and selecting four men with Smith and Wriggs they set off , leaving Drew in charge of the ship . The expedition proved to be quite uneventful , and the scouting party were back soon after noon , having been right down to the shores of the lagoon and searched it well from the highest point they could find without there being a sign of a canoe . From that day forward for quite two months , the occupants of the ship ashore enjoyed perfect peace , and no sign was seen of an enemy . It was evident that the natural childish fear and superstition of the blacks had kept them away from the island , but all the same no fishing or shooting excursion was ventured upon without the feeling that the party might return to find the savages making a fresh attack , or being in possession of the brig. Consequently no precautions could be relaxed on board , and not a step was taken without every one being armed to the teeth . The change during that time had been wonderful .