177^. ROUND THE WOULD. 213 



means he got clear oft*. Some other very daring thefts 

 were committed at the landing place. One fellow 

 took a seaman's jacket out of the boat, and carried it 

 off, in spite of all that our people in her could do. 

 Till he was both pursued and fired at by them, he 

 would not part with it ; nor would lie have done it 

 then, had not his landing been intercepted by some 

 of us, who were on shore. The rest of the natives, 

 who were very numerous, took very little notice of 

 the whole transaction ; nor were they the least alarmed 

 when the man was fired at. 



My friend Attago having visited me again next 

 morning, as usual brought with him a hog, and 

 assisted me in purchasing several more. Afterwards 

 we went a-shore ; visited the old king, with whom we 

 staid till noon ; then returned on board to dinner, 

 with Attago, who never once left me. Intending to 

 sail the next morning, I made up a present for the 

 old king, and carried it on shore in the evening. As 

 soon as I landed, I was told by the officers who were 

 on shore, that a far greater man than any we had yet 

 seen was come to pay us a visit. Mr. Pickersgill in- 

 formed me that he had seen him in the country, and 

 found that he was a man of some consequence, by 

 the extraordinary respect paid him by the people. 

 .Some, when they approached him, fell on their faces, 

 and put their heads between their feet ; and no one 

 durst pass him without permission. Mr. Pickersgill, 

 and another of the gentlemen, took hold of his arms, 

 and conducted him down to the landing-place, where 

 I found him seated w T ith so much sullen and stupid 

 gravity, that notwithstanding what had been told me, 

 I really took him for an idiot, whom the people, from 

 some superstitious notions, were ready to worship. 

 I saluted and spoke to him ; but he neither answered, 

 nor took the least notice of me ; nor did he alter a 

 single feature in his countenance. This confirmed 

 me in my opinion, and I was just going to leave him, 

 when one of the natives, an intelligent youth, under- 



p 3 



