gradually to us, feemingly in a more friendly manner; fome
even without their weapons, but by far the greateft part
hrought.them ; and when we made figns to lay them down,
they gave us to underfland that we mult lay down ours firft.
Thus all parties flood armed. The prefents I made to the
old people, and to fuch as feemed to be -of confequence, had
little effedl' on their conduct. They indeed climbed the
cocoa-nut trees, and threw us down the nuts, without requiring
any thing for them; but I took care that they
ftiould always have fomewhat in return. I obferved that
many were afraid to touch what belonged to us ; and they
feemed to have no notion of exchanging one thing for another.
I took the old man (whofe name we now found to
be Paowang) to the woods, and made him underfland, I
wanted to cut down fome trees to take on board the fhip;
cutting fome down at the fame time, which we put into one
of our boats, together with a few fmall calks of water, with
a view of letting the people fee what it was we chiefly
wanted. Paowang very readily gave his confent to cut
wood; nor was there any one who made the leafl objection.
He only defired the cocoa-nut trees might not be cut down.
Matters being thus fettled, we embarked and returned on
board to dinner, and, immediately after, they all difperfed.
I never learnt that any one was hurt by our fhot, either on
this or the preceding day ; which was a very happy circum-
flance. In the afternoon having landed again, we loaded
the launch with water, and having made three hauls with
the feine, caught upwards of three hundred pounds of mullet
and other fifh. It was fome time before any of the natives
appeared, and hot above twenty or thirty at laft, amongfl
whom was our trufly friend Paowang, who made us a pre_
fent of a fmall pig, which-was the only one we got at this
ifle, or that was offered us.
During
During the night, the volcano, which was about four
miles to the Well of us, vomited up vafl quantities of fire
and fmoke, as it had alfo done the night before; and the
flames were feen to rife above the hill which lay between us
and it. At every eruption, it made a long rumbling noife
like that of thunder, or the blowing up of large- mines. A
heavy fhower of rain, which fell at this time, feemed to in-
creafeit; and the wind blowing from the fame quarter, the
air was loaded with its afhes, which fell fo thick that every
thing was covered with the dull. It was a kind of fine fand,
or ftone,' ground or burnt to powder, and was exceedingly
troublefome to the eyes.
Early in the morning o f the 7th, the natives began again Sunday 7.
to affemble near the watering-place, armed as ufual, but
not in fuch numbers as at firft. After breakfaft, we landed,
in order to cut wood and fill water. .1 found many of the
i(landers much inclined to be friends with us, efpecially the
old people; on the other hand, moft of the younger were
daring and infolent, and obliged Us to keep to our arms. I
Raid E l l faw no difturbance was like to happen, and then
returned to the fliip, leaving the party under the command
of Lieutenants Clerke and Edgcumbe. When they came
on board to dinner, they informed me that the people continued
to behave in the fame incohfifte.nt manner as in the
I m orning; but more efpecially one man, whom Mr. Edgcumbe
was obliged to fire at, and believed he had ftruck
with a fwan-fliot. After that the others behaved with more
1 difcretion; and as toon as our people embarked they all retired.
While wë were fitting at dinner an old man came on
board, looked into many parts of the fliip, and then went
alhore again.
Vol.,II. I In