1825 



44 VOYAGE TO THE 



As the boats approached, the anxiety of the na- 

 tives was manifested by shouts, which overpowered 

 Nov. the voices of the officers : and our boats, before they 

 gained the beach, were surrounded by hundreds of 

 swimmers, clinging to the gunwale, the stern, and 

 the rudder, until they became unmanageable. They 

 all appeared to be friendly disposed, and none came 

 empty-handed. Bananas, yams, potatoes, sugar-cane, 

 nets, idols, &c. were offered for sale, and some were 

 even thrown into the boat, leaving their visiters to 

 make what return they chose. Among the swim- 

 mers there were a great many females, who were 

 equally or more anxious to get into the boats than 

 the men, and made use of every persuasion to induce 

 the crew to admit them. But to have acceded to 

 their entreaties would have encumbered the party, 

 and subjected them to depredations. As it was, the 

 boats were so weighed down by persons clinging to 

 them, that for personal safety the crew were com- 

 pelled to have recourse to sticks to keep them off, at 

 which none of the natives took offence, but regained 

 their position the instant the attention of the persons 

 in the boat was called to some other object. Just 

 within the gunwale there were many small things 

 which were highly prized by the swimmers ; and 

 the boats being brought low in the water by the 

 crowd hanging to them, many of these articles were 

 stolen, notwithstanding the most vigilant attention 

 on the part of the crew, who had no means of reco- 

 vering them, the marauders darting into the water, 

 and diving the moment they committed a theft. 

 The women were no less active in these piracies than 

 the men ; for if they were not the actual plun- 

 derers, they procured the opportunity for others, 



