1783.
November:.
their paddles on each fide the fhoal, which fo frightens the-
fifti, that they fpring out of the water, and numbers of them
falling upon .the matting, are immediately fecured in- the
.ends of the canoes; which are left .open to receive them.
Mr. Sharp returned in the evening from Pelew, whilft
our. people-were at prayers, bringing with him the things,
promifed by Raa Kook, together with a large quantity of
the fweetmeats called Woo-lele f . He reported that there
was great' rejoicing at Pelew; that the R u p a c k of Pele-
lew was ftill there, though probably not much difpofed to
enjoy the feftivity his fnbmiflion had given birth to.—The
feafting was much in the fame manner as. what on other
occafions has already been defcribed; diftinguiflied only
by a fbng, apparently compofed fince our people havé
been at Pelew, and in which the greater part Of thé
natives always joined. Though Mr. Sharp could not un-
- derftand the whole fenfe of it, yet- he readily -compi'e-
hended that the E .n g lijh were the fubjeft, by the frequent
repetition of the words E n g le e s— W e e l _ a T recoy— and !T o n i
R o fe .— This man going with the E iig lijb upon every expedition,
as interpreter, and poflefling a great fund of plea-
fantry and humour, hit the; fancy of all the natives, with
whom he became a wonderful favourite.— So Angular were
the talents 'of this truly faithful fellow, that wherever he
• This is the fwefctmeat which the failors called choak-dog, and which now their
ftomachs found pretty good, however contemptuouily they had thought of it at firft.
went
went lie -made, himfelf not only ufeful, but beloved; and»
from bis. great ntMty to Captain W^lsqn in bis voyage»
well merited the recommendation that bad been givenhim
at M a O a o .— The furgeon further reported the King of Pe-:
lelew to be a man much advanced in years, of a rough
manner and appearance; his hair was. grey, and his beard
tapeJl&g to a narrow point, in /the manner the Jews Jre*-
quently Wear theirs. He was Meigtothd) .or fatooed, quite up1
to thb- navels the Pelew people only tatooing. up to the
middle of their thighs, as already noticed.
It was not in the power of our’people to obtain any acv
count, which could- be depended on, of the number of this
chain of iflands; nor could any eminences they ever af-
cended, allow them to fee the extent of them, either to the
northward or fouth ward.—The new vefiel being now in a
ftate of great for\vardnefs, and the time of their departure
drawing -near, Captain. Wilson this evening exprefled to;
his officers and people a defire, before they failed for China»
to endeavour to explore thefe iflands, upon which Providence
had-thrown them, and that ten or twelve days might effect
the defign; that they had a quantity of provision fufficient
to authorize the attempt; and that he would apply to the
King for three or four canoes, with men, to accompany
them through the iflands, and to affift them, in afcertainmg.
their number, fituation, and extent. That he did not mean
to make a furvey of them.; but -that it would be a great fatif-
E fc faction,
1®
NOVEMBER.