177 4 ROUND THE WORLD. 279 



the west side of the point, or south-east side of the 

 island ; but before this could be accomplished, night 

 came upon us, and we stood on and off under the 

 land till the next morning, having soundings from 

 seventy-five to an hundred and ten fathoms, the same 

 bottom as before. 



On the 13th, about eight o'clock in the morning, 

 the wind, which had been variable most part of the 

 night, fixed at south-east and blew in squalls, accom- 

 panied with rain, but it was not long before the 

 weather became fair. As the wind now blew right 

 on the south-east shore, which does not afford that 

 shelter I at first thought, I resolved to look for 

 anchorage on the west and north-west sides of the 

 island. With this view, I bore up round the south 

 point, off which lie two small islots,the one nearest the 

 point high and peaked, and the other low and flattish. 

 After getting round the point, and coming before a 

 sandy beach, we found soundings, thirty and forty 

 fathoms, sandy ground, and about one mile from the 

 shore. Here a canoe conducted by two men came 

 off to us. They brought with them a bunch of 

 plantains, which they sent into the ship by a rope, 

 and then they returned ashore. This gave us a good 

 opinion of the islanders, and inspired us with hopes 

 of getting some refreshments, which we were in great 

 want of. 



I continued to range along the coast till we opened 

 the northern point of the isle without seeing a better 

 anchoring-place than the one we had passed. We 

 therefore tacked, and plied back to it ; and, in the 

 mean time, sent away the master in a boat to sound 

 the coast. He returned about five o'clock in the 

 evening, and soon after we came to an anchor, in 

 thirty-six fathoms' water, before the sandy beach 

 above-mentioned. As the master drew near the 

 shore with the boat, one of the natives swam off to 

 her, and insisted on coming aboard the ship, where 

 he remained two nights and a day. The first thing 



t 4 



