APR. 1769 NATIVES’ FRIENDSHIP 81 
man could learn to do in years. In spite of the rain some 
provisions are brought to the market, which is kept just 
without the lines. 
21st. Several of our friends at the tents this morning ; 
one from his grim countenance we have called Ajax, and at 
one time thought to be a great king. He had in his canoe a 
hog, but chose rather to sell it in the market than give it to 
us aS a present, which we accounted for by his having in 
the morning received a shirt in return for a piece of cloth; 
this may have made him fear that had he given the hog it 
might have been taken into the bargain, a proceeding very 
different from that of our friend Lycurgus, who seems in 
every instance to place a most unbounded confidence in us. 
22nd. Our friends as usual come early to visit us, 
Hercules with two pigs, and a Dolphin’s axe which he wished 
to have repaired, as it accordingly was. Lycurgus brought 
a large fish, an acceptable present, as that article has always 
been scarce with us. Trade brisk to-day; since our new 
manufacture of hatchets has been set on foot we get some 
hogs, though our tools are so small and bad that I only 
wonder how they can stand one stroke. 
The flies have been so troublesome ever since we have 
been ashore, that we can scarcely get any business done; 
they eat the painter’s colours off the paper as fast as they 
can be laid on, and if a fish has to be drawn, there is more 
trouble in keeping them off than in the drawing itself. 
Many expedients have been thought of, but none succeed 
better than a mosquito-net covering table, chair, painter and 
drawings, but even that is not sufficient. A fly-trap was 
necessary within this to attract the vermin from eating the 
colours. For this purpose tar and molasses were mixed 
yesterday together, but this did not succeed, for the plate 
which had been smeared with it was left outside the tent to 
clean, and one of the Indians noticing this took the oppor- 
tunity, when he thought no one was observing him, of taking 
some of this mixture up into his hand. I saw him, and was 
curious to know for what use it was intended: the gentle- 
man had a large sore on his body, to which this clammy 
G 
