I T
i f
*774*
June..
Tuefday 28.
actions were expreffive enough, and fhewed that her words
were to this effect, fneering. in my face, faying, what fort
of a man are you, thus to refufe the embraces of fo fine a
young woman ? For the girl certainly did not want beauty ;
which, however, I could better withftand, than the abufes
of this worthy matron, and therefore haftened into the boat.
They wanted me to take the young lady aboard ; but this
could not be done, as I had given flrift orders, before I went
afhore, to fuffer no woman, on any pretence whatever, to
come into the fhip, for reafons which I fhall mention in
another place.
As foon as the furgeon got afhore, he drefled the man’s
wounds, and bled h im ; and was of opinion that he was
in no fort of danger, as,the fhot had done little more than
penetrate the fkin. In the operation, fome poultice being
wanting, the furgeon afked for ripe plantains; but they
brought fugar-cane, and having chewed it to a pulp, gave
it him to apply to the wound. This being of a more bal-
famic nature than the other, proves that thefe people have
fome knowledge of fimples. As foon as the man’s wounds
were drefled, I made him a prefent, which his mailer, or at
leaf: the man who owned the canoe, took, mod probably, to
himfelf. Matters being thus fettled, apparently to the fatis-
faCtion of all parties, we repaired on board to dinner, where
I found a good fupply of fruit and roots, and therefore gave
orders to get every thing in readinefs to fail.
I now was informed of a circumftance which was obferved
on board: feveral canoes being at the fhip, when the great
guns were fired in the morning, they all retired, but one
man, who was bailing the water out of his canoe, which lay
alongalong
fide diredtly under the guns. When the firft was fired,
he jnil looked up, and then, quite unconcerned, continued
his work. Nor had the fecond gun any other effeCt upon
him. He did not fijr till the water was all out of his canoe,
when he paddled leifurely off. This man had, feveral times,
been obferved to take fruit and roots out of other canoes,
and fell them to us. If the owners did not willingly part
with them, he took them by force; by which he obtained
the appellation of cuftom-houfe officer. One time, after he
had been collecting tribute, he happened to be lying along-
fide of a failing canoe which was on board. One of her
people feeing him look another away, and his attention
otherwife engaged, took the opportunity of Healing fome-
what out, of his canoe: they then put off, and fet their
fail. But the man, perceiving the trick they had played him,
darted after them, and having foon got onboard their canoe,
beat him who had taken his things, and not only brought
back his own but many other articles which he took from
them. This man had likewife been obferved making
collections on fhore at the trading-place. I remembered
to have feen him there; and, on account of his gathering
tribute, took him to be a man of confequence, and was going
to make him a prefent; but fome of their people-
would not let m e ; faying he was no Areeke (that is, chief).
He had his hair always powdered with fome kind of white
dull.
As we had no wind to fail this afternoon, a party of us-
went afhore in the evening. We found the natives every,
where courteous and obliging; fo that, had We made a
longer fltay, it is probable we fhould have had no more rea-
vlbn to complain of their conduit. While I was now on
fhore,
1774-
Tuefday 28*