ting up to return towards the "beach, when a man arrived
who brought a hog along with him, which the king presented
to ahe captain, at the fame time promifing to give
him another. With this fmall beginning we refted Satisfied,
and taking our leave, without any troublefome ceremony,.
only pronouncing a hearty tayo, (friend,) which had
more meaning in it than many a ftudied Speech, we returned
on board.
In the afternoon the captains went on fhore with us
again to the king, whom we found where we had left him
in the morning. He took that opportunity of requefting
the captains again to prolong their flay at leaft a few days ;
but he received the fame anfwer as before, and was plainly
told, that his refufing to provide us with live-ftock was
the reafon of their intended departure. Upon this he immediately
fent for two bogs, and presented one to each of the
captains, for which he received Some iron-wares in return.
A highlander, who was one of our marines, was ordered
to play the bagpipe, and its uncouth mufic, though almoffi
infufFerable to our ears, delighted the king and his Subjects
to a degree which we could hardly have imagined poffible.
The diftruft which we perceived in his looks at our firft interview
was now worn off; and if we had flaid long
. enough, an unreferved confidence might have taken its
place, to which his youth and good-nature Seemed to make
him inclinable. The ftudied gravity which he had then affected,
A V O Y A G E ROUND THE WORLD. 3 t!
feded, was likewife laid afide at prefent, and Some of his august,
aCtions rather partook of puerility, among which I cannot
help mentioning his amufement of chopping little flicks
and cutting down plantations of bananas with one of our
hatchets. But, inftead of cultivating any farther acquaintance
with him, we took our laft leave towards the clofe of
the evening, and returned to the Hoops, which unmoored-
before night.
The inhabitants feeing us prepare for failing the next Tuetday a4;
morning, came off in a vaft number of fmall canoes, loaded
with coco-nuts and other vegetable provifions, which
they fold exeeflively cheap, rather than mifs the laft opportunity
of obtaining European goods. The tafte for
baubles, which unaccountably prevails all over the world
in different degrees, was fo extravagant here, that a Angle
bead was eagerly purchafed with a dozen of the fineft coconuts,
and Sometimes preferred even to a nail, though the
laft might be of fome ufe, and the bead could ferve merely
as an infignificant ornament. We obferved that the trade
was carried on much fairer this time than at our arrival,
the natives being perhaps apprehenfive that any little fraud
might break off a commerce, in which they now appeared
deeply interefted. They accompanied us for this purpofe
till we were a mile or two without the reefs, and then returned
to the beach, where we had left lieutenant Pickerf- ■
gill