The fore-maft being, by this time, finifhed, w e hauled it
along-fide ; but the bad weather prevented our g e ttin g it in
till the afternoon ; and w e fet about r ig g in g it w ith the
greateft expedition, while the carpenters were go in g on w ith
the mizen-maft on ihore. T h e y had made very confiderable
progrefs in it on the 16th; when they difcovered, that the
ftick upon which they were at w ork was fprung, or w ou nd ed.;
owing, as fuppofed, to fome accident in cuttin g it down.
So that all their labour was thrown a w a y ; and it became
neceflary to get another tree out o f the woods, which employed
all hands above h a lf a day. Du rin g thefe various
operations, feveral o f the natives, w ho were about the fhips,
looked on with an expreffive filent furprize, which we did
not expeft, from their general indifference and inattention.
On the 18th, a party o f ftrangers, in fix or eight canoes,
came into the cove, where the y remained, lookin g at us,
for fome tim e ; and then retired, without coming along-
fide either fhip. We fuppofed, that our old friends, who
were more numerous, at this time, about us, than thefe new
vifiters, would not permit them to have apy intereourfe with
us. It was evident, upon this and feveral other occafions,
that the inhabitants o f the adjoining parts o f the Sound en-
groffed us entirely to th emfelve s; or if, at any time, they
did not hinder ftrangers from trading w ith us, they contrived,
to manage the trade for them in fuch a manner, that
the price o f their commodities was always kept up, while
the value o f ours was le flen in g every day. We alfo found,
that many o f the principal natives, who lived near us, carried
on a trade with more diftant tribes, in the artieles
they had procured from us. For we obferved, that they
w ou ld frequently difappear for four or five days at a time,
and then return with frefh cargoes o f fkins and curiofities,
which
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