Setting off from Sydney Harbour in 1862, the 'Fawn' voyages to the
Islands of the Western Pacific stopping at New Zealand first. From their
first contact with the natives of Niue to the hospitality encountered
from the Pitcairn Islanders, the Author, T H Hood, gives us an engaging
narrative of the trip which includes many fine illustrations. He also
includes numerous anecdotes gathered en-route such as the scarcely
credible adventures of the whaling Captain Grant, whose feats included
killing a ninety foot Sperm Whale whilst swimming beside it after it had
crushed his boat, and surviving being dragged under with his foot in a
whales mouth! Hood's appealing style provides a fascinating picture of
the lives and history of the disparate peoples of this region whether or
not you have a particular interest in the Western pacific.