i6 A V O Y A G E
Mr. Buchan was feized with an epileptic fit this morning, and remained infenfible
all day.
On the 16th, but few of the Indians came to us in their canoes, being, we apprehended,
fomewhat alarmed at what had happened the day before. We got the
{hip moored s and Mr. Banks and the captain went alhore to confer with the
natives, and to prevail on them to traffic with us again.
On the .17th, early in the morning, Mr. Buchan died, and we went out in the
pinnace and long boat to the offing, and buried him.
Two of the chiefs came on board this morning,, bringing with them a prefent
of hogs,'fowls, plantains, bananas, cocoas, bread-fruit and a fort of yams. At this
ieafon the cocoas are young, many of them yielding a quart of fine milk, and the
{hell is eatable, but .they have no kernel.
We pitched one of the {hip’s tents f , and went into the valley, where an Indian
invited me to his hut, and fent his fion up a tall cocoa-tree to gather nuts: he,
climbed it very dexteroufly, by tying his feet together with a withe, then clafping
the' tree, and vaulting up very fwiftly. They admired every thing they faw about
me, and I gave them a few trinkets.
On the 18th, in the night, we lay on Ihore, and were much incommoded with a
fpecies of flies with which the ifland (warms; infomuch that, at dinner time, it was
one perfop’s employ to beat them off with a feather fly-flap, the handle of which is
made of a hard, brown wood, rudely carved, and fomewhat refembles a human
figure.
t As we .were to make the obfervation of the tranfit on this ifland, we built a temporary fort for
pur accommodation on ihore: [fee pi. IV .] It had a foffif, withpalifadoes, next the river: guns and
fwivels mounted on the ramparts ; and within, we had an obfervatory, an oven, forge, and pens for
'our iheep. Centinels were alfo appointed as , The
fandy ground, on which the fort flood, was very troublefome when the wind was high.
On