314 VOYAGE IN SEARCH 



till the tides had occafioncd currents favour- 

 able to the courfe which we wifhed to fteer. 



The natives had come on board, and brought 

 us different fpecies of the fruits common in the 

 Moluccas, amonp^ which I remarked pumpkins 

 of very diverfified forms. They had alfo loaded 

 their canoes with wild bread-fruit, the kernels 

 of which all thofe who ate any had much dif- 

 ficulty to digell, although it had been roafted. 

 They alfo procured us a great number of fowls, 

 forne goats, a conliderable quantity of fifh pre- 

 pared after the manner of the Buccaneers, and 

 from time to time fome frefh fiQi. Tiiegreatcit 

 part of thcfe natives did not think of making 

 any exchanges with us till after they had afked 

 pcrmijlion to do fo from the commanding officer 

 of our fliip, to wliom they made a prefent. 

 They informed us, that within the lad: year 

 they had fecn four European fliips pafs through 

 this vScrait, namely, two coming from Ternate, 

 and the others from Banda and Amboyna. 

 ThcfC people trade with the Dutch ; they pre- 

 ferred money to almoif every other article that 

 v.c offered them : h.owcver, one of them ear- 

 ncftly ails-^d us for fome powder and lead ; but 

 not obtaining any, one olf tliem offered us two 

 iiavcs as the price of a fmal! quantity of am- 

 nuiiiition ; and he appeared greatly afoniflied 



when 



