THETPACIFICOCEAN. 277 



The bad weather which now came on, did nor, however, 1778. 

 hinder the natives from vifiting us daily; and, in fuch cir- v— £^1Lj 

 cumftanccs, their vifits were very advantageous to us. For 

 they frequently brought us a tolerable fupply of fifh, when 

 we could not catch any ourfelves with hook and line ; and 

 there was not a proper place near us where wc could draw 

 a net. The fifh which they brought us were either fardines ; 

 or what refembled them much, a fmall kind of bream ; and 

 fometimes fmall cod. 



On the nth, notwithftanding the rainy weather, the main- Saturday u. 

 rigging was fixed and got over head ; and our employment, 

 the day after, was to take down the mizen-maft, the head Sunday 12^ 

 of which proved to be fo rotten, that it dropped off while in 

 the flings. In the evening wc were vifited by a tribe of 

 natives whom we had never feen before ; and who, in ge- 

 neral, were better looking people than mod of our old 

 friends, fome of whom attended them. I prevailed upon 

 thefe viflters to go down into the cabin for the firft time ; 

 and obferved, that there was not a fingle objedl that fixed 

 the attention of moll of them for a moment ; their coun- 

 tenances marking, that they looked upon all our novel- 

 ties with the utmoft indifference. This, however, was not 

 without exception ; for a few of the company fliewed a. 

 certain degree of curiofity. 



In the afternoon of the next day, I went into the woods Monday 13. 

 with a party of our men, and cut down a tree for a mizen- 

 mafl. On the day following, it was brought to the place Tuefday 14, 

 where the carpenters were employed upon the fore-maft. 

 In the evening the wind, which had been, for fome time, 

 Wefterly, veered to South Eaft, and increafed to a very hard 

 gale, with rain, which continued till eight o'clock the next wednef. 15. 

 morning, when it abated, and veered again to the Weft. 



The 



