2 4 A N ' A G C O U N T O F
1^ 3’ ,.
AU G U S T ,
coming into the cove, deemed to- look round; with great
watchfulnefs,as i f 'fearful o f being betrayed; nor would -
they feat' themfelyes near the tents, but kept clofe to the
beach,- that in *cafe. ’of danger- they might immediately regain
their canoes'. Our people now going to breakfaft, they
were prefented with fome tea, and fome fweet bifcuits,
made at C h i n a , of*which two or three jars had been
faved. Only Captain Wilson, and one or. two ;mor,e,;'with
Tom Rose the interpreterjffiieakfafted- with ..them ;*f©r^ as
they would probaMy have entertained''doubts of ovirrpeQple,
had the' Rnglijh furrounded them to gratify curioiity, they
might, from their apprehenfians, have _ haftilyf departed.
In theJittie conversation "which-, during bfeakfaftr^ftli^he '
obtained, a with was expreiTed to the Malay they brought
with them, o f knowing by what event he chanced to be
there. This fellow, befide his own and the. Pklew language,.
fpoke a little Dutch, and fome words o f Engli/b: he
gave the following account o f himfelf, * viz.- That her
Commanded; a trading veftel belonging to a CHiNA-man at
Tern ate, had been on a trading voyage to Amroy.na
and Bantam, and had been caft away, about ten months
before, upon an ifland to -the fouthwa-rd, * which was. within
fight o f where he then was; that he efcaped from thence to
-Pelew, and had been kindly recei ved by the King, who, he
* The. future conduit .and "behaviour of this M a l a y gaye:reafon-to fufpe£t there
was little truth in the account he gave of himfelf.
told
TH e p e l e W I S L A N h S . m
told' them, was; a very good man, and that his people alfo
were courteqpsfr |$
jh-He '%rther acquainted them, thabffcanoe having.been
du-tififhing,.had feen the -ihip’srmaft lying down?},.and that
the King, being informed of it, lent off thefe .two caho'es, at
four o’clock that mprning, to enquire what! .was'become; of
the .people;; j that they knowing! well this harbour, had come
to ;it'ifirft, being a place where, fhe-^canoes, when fifhing,
often ihelter-jthemfelveSiin hard weather^f—They fat about
an ^hoiaE^ withfCaptain. W i l s o n ^ tailed, the tea# but feemed
tQ ^likpit ^ptter;thd bifcuits,i and appeared aow to" feel thfem-
felveS#elieved; from every, apprehenfion. s They wifhed that
©.ne»£©f -our, j people.' might be | fqfat in - their can®?» to the
RiS^sApE, or King, dhat he naight,»&e;Kwhat^fort) of people
jthqy,iwere^'iwhich was. agreed»to by Captain- W i l s o n , who,
afteif breakfaft was ended, intfoduced to them feveral of
hif JofSeers-;-/ thefe* as they/ came up, fhook hands with
the natiyes, vfh'o--being informed by ' the Malay : that this
was the mode of falutation amongft tht^Engli/b, they went
to; everyi man prefent, and took him by.the hand, nor evejr
after oriiitted this token of regard, -rS often as: they met our
.Countrymen. .
... It often pleafes-Providence,- in the moft, trying hoprsof
difficulty and diftrefs, to throw open fome unlooked-for
fource o f confolation to the fpirits o f the unfortunate!— It
Was a lingular accident, that Captain Rees; of the Nor*
E
*7®3-
« 1 U S T4
THUMBERLAND