1774 ROUND THE WORLD. 299 



put in stays, payed the ship off again, and before she 

 wore round, she was within a few yards of being 

 driven against the rocks to leeward. This obliged 

 us to stand out to sea, and to make a stretch to 

 windward ; after which we stood in again, and, with- 

 out attempting to turn, anchored in the entrance of 

 the bay in thirty-four fathoms' water, a fine sandy 

 bottom. This was no sooner done, than about thirty 

 or forty of the natives came off to us in ten or twelve 

 canoes ; but it required some address to get them 

 alongside. At last, a hatchet and some spike-nails 

 induced the people in one canoe to come under the 

 quarter-gallery ; after which all the others put along- 

 side, and having exchanged some bread-fruit, and 

 fish, for small nails, &c. retired ashore, the sun being 

 already set. We observed a heap of stones in the 

 bow of each canoe, and every man to have a sling 

 tied round his hand. 



Very early next morning, the natives visited us 

 again in much greater numbers than before ; bring- 

 ing with them bread-fruit, plantains, and one pig, all 

 of which they exchanged for nails, &c. But, in this 

 traffic, they would frequently keep our goods and 

 make no return ; till at last I was obliged to fire a 

 musket-ball over one man who had several times 

 served us in this manner ; after which they dealt 

 more fairly, and soon after several of them came on 

 board. At this time, we were preparing to warp 

 farther into the bay ; and I was going in a boat, to 

 look for the most convenient place to moor the ship 

 in. Observing too many of the natives on board, I 

 said to the officers, " You must look well after these 

 people, or they will certainly carry off something 

 or other." I had hardly got into the boat, before 

 I was told they had stolen one of the iron stanchions 

 from the opposite gang-way, and were making off 

 with it. I ordered them to fire over the canoe till I 

 could get round in the boat, but not to kill any one. 

 But the natives made too much noise for me to be 



