*7?3-
SEPTEMBER*
Tuefday 9,
cau ght th e carpenters, w h o were bulled, fome in fawing,
o th e rs in-dubbing,.'&C.-; this .was again fre lh matter to detain
them ; th e faw and .its operations were .marvellous;
and it was.,not without great difficulty that th ey were at laft
fed u c ed . to th e canvafs, w h ere ffierbet was prepared i-for
th em . Captain Wilson made th e K in g a prefent o f a
China mat, w h ich h e .appeared to admire,; b e in g different
from any th e y made.at Pelew, and w h ich h e wiffied as ,a
pattern fo r h is people to endeavour to imitate, y
W h e n redemption is th e objedt, minutes appear as hours,
arid our men,.w ith fu ch a point-in-view, could, ill afford1 the
lols o f h a lf a d a y ; th e y were extremely. upe%fy ^ r i f to gp d ,
that no fooner were their, guefts retired , - but; a ll th eir eotn-
raoH attendants fwarmed in eve ry :part,.io. th a t 'i t ?;was- im-.
poffible to continue w o r k ; R a a K o o k . was therefore petitioned
to difperfe them, w h o , b y ordering them down to th e
b ea ch , g a v e th e different artificers elbow-room to..proceed
ip th e ir bufineft.-—T h e K in g , after this, took. Ifis'l^afferwitla
m u ch go od-humour, and, accompanied b y all , his retinue,
went to fleep at the b a ck o f th e ifland.
In confequenee o f w h a t had th e preceding day been e x plained
relative to the; fwivel-guns,: th e K in g ’s imagination
had amply worked on the fubjedt;, he came ov er land , with
his train, and expreffed a wiffi to have one o f them to take
w ith h im on th e nex t, expedition^ thJI the Captain endeaivoured
voured to convince him'would' be impoffible^as ftMey-’had nor
SEPTEMB1
boats conftrudbed in tac manner! proper eto receive it.— The
King.then'requefted to have the sfec-poUndferffiredi^rS-If they
were furprized y^ffihves’alfeady ndti®y^fejt;:the, dif-
chargeiO'fiya, mufquet, it may. eafily.'be -magmed! Snhhdws
great * a^ proportion!’ theureport- of this piece, muft haVe'a'f-
fe^ed. them.— During! the time .the gunner was" loading-it,'
p0t. a circumftarice of the whole “’procefs sefeaped their« no- -
tice; and.when . f f i e ..
the train, they. perceiveihan dnflhntaneous^ hlaze^ whieh»1vkS r
fiifegedid] by. a mpft-yiQlept hdi-fe.; this,' thepowerei puzzled
in tbq e'xtreme ’ to" .comprehend, and the. mford fo;?a’s in it he
difcfiarg.e r;of .a mufquet-they had- feeh ©ofappearance-'of
fire applied.—xThe-report of, the fix-pounder feemed ikriftun
them all,,-as ev-e^y,,Qn^^f 4honal:ives,.for more;thari.a'lquar-
ter, of /an hojrr, kept his; fingers in his .ears, Galling: ciitt
Mffgujl! that is to , fay,. Very 'ipad.-^iRleafed? and
furprized. as^hpy wCgeat the noife, it was evidendyttao-vio-
jjskjj H@g£^their,.qigajhs for whenfoyer \founds .’uncommonly
loud ftrike unexpectedly on thefdrrim of the;'ear* it -is well
known they will occafion 'temporary deafnefs, though the
fame degree of found, when applied to thofe who are ac-
cuftomed to it, or prepared to receive it, will not vibrate on '
the fenfe with any particular inconvenience.—The hooting
and fliouting of the natives, on hearing the explofion, was
fUff H hardly