214 BARTER WITH NATIVES. 



the g-iant of its race^ of a g'lossy reddish pink colour 

 with red mouth. 



During* om^ stay here the ship was daily visited 

 by canoes from Pig' Island and its ^dcinity^ also 

 from a villa o-e or two on South-east Island, a few 

 miles to the eastward of our anchorage. They 

 usually made their appearance in the morning- and 

 remained for an hour or so^ bartering- cocoa-nuts^ 

 yams, ornaments and weapons for kon hoop, knives, 

 and axes. After leaving- us, those coming- from the 

 eastward, as the wind was unfavourable for then' 

 retm-n, landed at the mouth of the creek and waited 

 for the flood tide. Our intercom-se throuo-hout was 

 peaceful, which was fortunate for both parties, for, 

 if inclined to be hostile, the natives mig'ht frequently 

 have attacked our watering--boats while passing* up 

 and down the river, impeded occasionally by dead 

 trees and shoals, with a dense forest on each side. 

 Latterly, however, as if suspicious of our intentions 

 or tired of our protracted stay, they fired the g-rass 

 on the hill at the entrance of the creek, possibly to 

 deter us from entering*. Still we thoug-ht this 

 might have been done without reference to us, but 

 afterwards two or three men with spears were seen 

 by passing- boats skulking along the banks of the 

 ri^er on their way to the rapid, where they again 

 set fire to the grass as if to smoke us out or prevent 

 om- return. But the grass}' tracts along the tops 

 of the low hills in the vicinity being intersected by 

 lines and patches of brush the fire did not extend 



