J 7^ 



A VOYAGE TO 



'77«- warp the fliip into the cove, alfo got foul of rocks; from 

 which it appeared that the whole bottom was lire wed with 

 them. The Ihip being again very leaky in her upper 

 works, I ordered the carpenters to go to work to caulk her, 

 and to repair fuch other defe<5ts as, on examination, we. 

 might difcover. 



The fame of our arrival brought a great concourfe of the 



natives to our fliips in the courfe of this day. We counted 



above a hundred canoes at one time, which might be fup- 



pofed to contain, at an average, five perfons each ; for few 



of them had lefs than three on board ; great numbers had 



fcven, eight, or nine ; and one was manned with no lefs 



than feventeen. Amongft thefe vifuers, many novv^ favoured 



us with their company for the firll time, which we could 



guefs, from their approaching the fliips with their orations 



and other ceremonies. If they had any diftruft or fear of us 



at lirft, they now appeared to have laid it afide ; for they 



came on board the fliips, and mixed with our people with 



the greateft freedom. We foon difcovered, by this nearer 



intercourfe, that they were as light-fingered as any of our 



friends in the iflands we had vificed in the courfe of the 



voyage. And they were far more dangerous thieves ; for, 



poflcfling fliarp iron inftruments, they could cut a hook 



from a tackle, or any other piece of iron from a rope, the 



inllant that our backs were turned. A large hook, wcigli- 



ing between twenty and thirty pounds, feveral fmaller onTes, 



and other articles of iron, were loft in this manner. And, 



as to our boats, they flripped them of every bit of iron 



that was worth carrying away, though we had always 



men left in them as a guard. They were dextrous enough 



in efledling their purpoles ; for one fellow would contrive 



to amufe the boat-keeper, at one end of a boat, while an- 



I other 



