The Life of Robert Louis Stevenson for Boys and Girls

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retired. Among these smaller presents were many fish-hooks for large
fishing, laboriously carved from mother-of-pearl shell. One man came
with one egg in each hand saying 'carry these to Scotland with you, let
them hatch into cocks, and their song shall remind you of Tautira.' The
schoolmaster, with a leaf-basket of rose apples, made his speech in
French."

While overhauling the _Casco_ two or three days before they planned to
leave Tautira, Captain Otis was shocked to find the whole upper half of
the main masthead completely eaten out by dry-rot. This necessitated
taking the schooner around to Papeete, on the other side of the island,
for repairs. Under ordinary circumstances the setting of a new masthead
need to have delayed them but a few days; in the South Seas, however,
it was a different matter. Only after searching for days in Papeete was
he able to find a man who knew anything of ship-carpentering, and when
found he worked according to his own sweet will. So it was five weeks
before the _Casco_ was ready to return for her passengers, who in the