1767.

June.

The natives would indeed fometimes pilfer, but by the
terror of a gun, without ufing it, he always found
means to make them bring back what was stolen. A
fellow had one day the dexterity and addrefs to crofs
the river unperceived, and steal a hatchet; the Gunner,
as foon as he miffed it, made the old man understand
what had happened, and got his party ready, as if he
would have gone into the woods after the thief: the
old man, however, made figns that he would fave him
the trouble, and immediately setting off, returned in a
fhort time with the hatchet. The Gunner then
very
infifted that the offender should be delivered up, and
with this the old man, though not without great
reluctance, complied. When the fellow was brought
down, the Gunner knew him to be an old offender,
and therefore fent him prisoner on board. I had no
intention to punish him otherwife, than by the fear of
punishment, and therefore, after great entreaty and
interceffion, I gave him his liberty, and fent him on
fhore. When the natives faw him return in fafety, it
is hard to fay whether their astonishment or joy was
greateft; they received him with univeríal acclamati-
ons, and immediately carried him off into the woods:
the next day, however, he returned, and as a propi-
tiation to the Gunner, he brought him a confide-
rable quantity of bread-fruit, and a large hog ready
roasted.

At this time the people on board were employed in caulking and painting the weather-work, over-hauling the rigging, flowing the hold, and doing other neceffary business; but my disorder, which was a bilious cholic, increafed fo much, that this day I was obliged to take to my bed; my First Lieutenant alfo ftill continued very ill, and the Purfer was incapable of his duty. The whole command devolved upon Mr. Furneaux, the Second Lieutenant, to whom I gave general directions, and recommended a particular attention to the people on fhore. I alfo ordered that fruit and fresh provifions fhould be ferved to the fhip's company as long as they could be procured, and that the boats fhould never be abfent from the ship after fun-fet. Thefe directions were fulfilled with fuch prudence and punctuality, that during all my ficknefs

;

fickness I was not troubled with any business, nor had the mortification to hear a single complaint or appeal. The men were conftantly ferved with fresh pork, fowls, and fruit, in fuch plenty, that when I left my bed, after having been confined to it near a fortnight, my fhip's company looked fo fresh and healthy, that I could fcarcely believe them to be the fame people.

29

Sunday the 28th was marked by no incident; but Sund. 28. on Monday the 29th, one of the Gunner's party found Monday 201 a piece of faltpetre near as big as an egg. As this was an object of equal curiofity and importance, diligent inquiry was immediately made from whence it came.

The furgeon afked every one of the people on fhore," feparately, whether he had brought it from the ship; every one on board also was asked whether he had carried it on shore; but all declared that they had never had fuch a thing in their poffeffion. Application was then made to the natives, but the meaning of both parties was fo imperfectly conveyed by figns, that nothing could be learnt of them about it: during our whole stay here, however, we faw no more than this one piece.

While the gunner was trafficking for provifions on fhore, we fometimes hauled the feine, but we caught no fish; we also frequently trawled, but with no better fuccefs: the difappointment, however, was not felt, for the produce of the ifland enabled our people to "fare fumptuously every day."

July.

All matters continued in the fame fituation till the 2d of July, when our old man being abfent, the fupply Thuifd. 2. of fresh provifions and fruit fell fhort; we had, however, enough to ferve most of the meffes, referving plenty for the fick and convalefcent.

On the 3d, we heeled the ship, and looked at her bottom, which we found as clean as when the came out of dock, and to our great fatisfaction as found. During all this time, none of the natives came near our boats, or the fhip, in their canoes. This day, about noon, we caught a very large fhark, and when the boats went to fetch the people on board to dinner, we fent it on shore. When the boats were putting

Friday 3

1767. July.

off again, the Gunner feeing fome of the natives on the other fide of the river, beckoned them to come over; they immediately complied, and he gave them the fhark, which they foon cut to pieces, and carried away with great appearance of fatisfaction.

On Sunday the 5th, the old man returned to the Sunday 5. market-tent, and made the gunner understand that he had been up the country, to prevail upon the people to bring down their hogs, poultry, and fruit, of which the parts near the watering place were now nearly exhaufted. The good effects of his expedition foon appeared, for feveral Indians, whom our people had never feen before, came in with fome hogs that were larger than any that had been yet brought to market. In the mean time, the old man ventured off in his canoe to the ship, and brought with him, as a prefent to me, a hog ready roafted. I was much pleased with his attention and liberality, and gave him, in return for his hog, an iron pot, a looking-glafs, a drinking-glass, and several other things, which no man in the island was in poffeffion of but himfelf.

While our people were on fhore, several young women were permitted to cross the river, who, though they were not averfe to the granting of perfonal favours, knew the value of them too well not to ftipulate for a confideration; the price indeed, was not great, yet it was such as our men were not always able to pay, and under this temptation they ftole nails and other iron from the hip. The nails that we brought for traffic, were not always in their reach, and therefore they drew feveral out of different parts of the veffel, particularly thofe that fattened the cleats to the fhip's fide. This was productive of a double mifchief; damage to the fhip, and a confiderable rife at market. When the Gunner offered, as ufual, fmall nails for hogs of a middling fize, the natives refufed to take them, and produced large fpikes, intimating that they expected fuch nails as thefe. A moft diligent enquiry was fet on foot to difcover the offenders, but all to no purpose ; and though a large reward was offered to procure intelligence, none was obtained. I was mortified at the difappointment, but I was ftill more mortified at a fraud. which I found fome of our people had practifed upon

the

the natives. When no nails were to be procured, they had stolen lead, and cut it up in the fhape of nails. Many of the natives, who had been paid with this bafe money, brought their leaden nails with great fimplicity, to the Gunner, and requested him to give them iron in their stead. With this request, however reasonable, he could not comply, becaufe, by rendering lead current, it would have encouraged the ftealing it, and the market would have been as effectually fpoiled by thofe who could not procure nails, as by thofe who could; it was therefore neceffary, upon every account, to render this leaden currency of no value, though for our honour I should have been glad to have called it in.

On Tuesday the 7th, I fent one of the mates, with Tuesday 7. thirty men, to a village at a little distance from the market, hoping that refreshments might there be bought at the original price; but here they were obliged to give ftill more than at the water-fide. In the mean time, being this day able to get up for the first time, and the weather being fine, I went into a boat, and rowed about four miles down the coaft. I found the country populous, and pleasant in the highest degree, and faw many canoes on the fhore; but not one came off to us, nor did the people seem to take the leaft notice of us as we paffed along. About noon I returned to the ship.

The commerce which our men had found means to establish with the women of the island, rendered them much less obedient to the orders that had been given for the regulation of their conduct on fhore, than they were at first. I found it necessary therefore to read the articles of war, and I punished James Proctor, the Corporal of marines, who had not only quitted his station, and infulted the officer, but ftruck the Master at Arms fuch a blow as brought him to the ground.

The next day, I fent a party up the country to cut Wednes. 8. wood, and they met with fome of the natives, who treated them with great kindness and hofpitality. Several of these friendly Indians came on board in our boat, and feemed, both by their dress and behaviour, to be of a fuperior rank. To these people I paid a particular attention; and to discover what prefent would most gratify them, I laid down before them a VOL. I.

Johannes,

1767.

July.

Satur. 11.

Johannes, a guinea, a crown piece, a Spanish dollar, a few fhillings, fome new halfpence, and two large nails, making figns that they should take what they liked beft. The nails were first feized, with great eagerness, and then a few of the halfpence, but the filver and gold lay neglected. Having presented them, therefore, with fome nails and halfpence, I fent them on fhere fuperlatively happy.

From this time, our market was very ill fupplied, the Indians refufing to fell provifions at the usual price, and making figns for large nails. It was now thought neceffary to look more diligently about the fhip, to discover what nails had been drawn; it was foon found that all the belaying cleets had been ripped off, and that there was scarcely one of the hammock nails left. All hands were now ordered up, and I practised every artifice I could think of to difcover the thieves, but without fuccefs. I then told them that till the thieves were difcovered, not a fingle man should go on fhore: this however produced no effect, except that Proctor, the Corporal, behaved in a mutinous manner, for which he was inftantly punished.

On Saturday the 11th, in the afternoon, the Gunner came on board with a tall woman, who feemed to be about five and forty years of age, of a pleafing countenance and majestic deportment. He told me that he was but just come into that part of the country, and that seeing great refpe&t paid her by the rest of the natives, he had made her fome prefents; in return for which fhe had invited him to her house, which was about two miles up the valley, and given him fome large hogs; after which the returned with him to the watering-place, and expressed a desire to go on board the fhip, in which he had thought it proper, on all accounts, that the fhould be gratified. She feemed to be under no restraint, either from diffidence or fear, when she first came into the fhip; and fhe behaved, all the while fhe was on board, with an eafy freedom, that always diftinguishes confcious fuperiority and habitual command. I gave her a large blue mantle, that reached from her shoulders to her feet, which I threw over her, and tied on with ribbands; I gave her alfo a looking-glafs, beads of feveral forts,

and