AuomT. of our long-boat. We were thinking to go on towards it,
as we had hitherto met with no bad accident, nor feen fo
much as a fingle native on our walk : however, our voices
mUft have alarmed fome of them in the plantations along
which we pafled, for we prefently heard one or two blowing
on great conchs, which, among many favage nations,
and particularly in the South Seas, are u-fed to alarm the
country. At this found we inftantly refolved to retreat,,
and got fafely down to the folfatarra which we had laft dif-
covered, unfeen by any of the natives. Here we met a few
of them coming up the hill from the fea fide, who feemed;
greatly furprifed to fee us fo far advanced into their recedes..
We told them that we went about to (hoot birds, and de-
fired them to bring us fomething to drink. They went on.
without feeming to take much notice of our requeft; but
after we had botanized on the fpot above a quarter of an
hour, and were juft preparing to d'efcend, we faw a: whole
family o f men, women, and children, coming down with,
abundance of fugar- canes and'two or three coeo-nuts. We
fat down, and after refrefhing ourfelves with the juices-
which thefe vegetables contained, made our hofpitable-
friends feveral prefents, with which they parted from us.
well contented. We went down with our acquifitions, and:
came on the beach when the boats were going on board;
The natives had now begun to trade with yams, fugar-canes,,
coeo-nuts, and bananas; and though they only fupplied us,
fparingly^
fparingly, yet we were highly pleafed even with this fmall avggs
beginning, hoping that in time we might obtain more con-
fiderable fupplies. They fet no value on our iron-ware,
but preferred Taheitee cloth, fmall pieces of green nephritic
ftone from New Zeeland, mother of pearl {hells, and,
above all, pieces of tortoife-ftiell. Eor thefe laft they fold
their arms; at firft, parting only with darts and arrows,
but afterwards difpofing alfo of their bows and clubs.
In the afternoon we landed, and walked along the fea-
fhore towards the eaft point, where the natives had prevented
our going on two days before. We met fome of them,
who talked with us a few moments •, but whilft they flood
near us, we took notice of a fingle man fitting behind a
tree, with his bow bent and the arrow pointed towards us.
As foon as he perceived himfelf difcovered, and a mufket
pointed at him, he threw his arms into the bufti and crept
out to us, and I believe he really had no bad intent, though
fuch kinds of jefts are not much to be trufted. We reached
the eaftern point of the harbour, and there gathered
fome beautiful red flowers, which had tempted us everfince
we came to an anchor ; they belonged to a fpecies of yam-
boos or eugenia. As we were going to crofs the point and
to proceed along the fhore beyond it, fifteen or twenty natives
crouded about us, and begged us with the greateft .
earneftnefs to return. We were not much inclined to comply
with their deihand, but they repeated their intreaties,
Q_q 2 and