sorter's journal. 



27 



of the shot, they gave a general shout of applause, as if all 

 were operated on by the same impulse : last of all, I direct- 

 ed her to be fired with grape-shot, which seemed to afford 

 them more pleasure than all the rest ; they hugged, and 

 kissed the gun, lay down beside it, fondled it with the ut- 

 most dehght, and at length, slung it to two long poles, and 

 carried it toward the mountain. On their first attempt 

 to lift it with a few men, the weight seemed to astonish 

 them ; they declared that it stuck to the ground ; they 

 soon however raised it by additional numbers, and bore it 

 off with apparent ease. 



While the natives were employed with their darling gun, 

 I occupied myself in forwarding as much as possible the 

 ship's duty ; and as an additional security to our camp, 

 landed another six pounder, and mounted also a long wall 

 piece. The ship was soon stripped of her rigging ; her 

 provisions, stores, and ammunition, put on board the 

 prizes. The carpenters were employed in caulking her 

 seams, the coopers, in setting up new water-casks, (of which 

 our prizes afforded us an abundant supply) in place of the 

 old, which were nearly all found rotten. Our men were 

 occupied in overhauling and refitting the rigging, and the 

 duty of every one allotted to him. No work was exact- 

 ed from any person after four o'clock in the afternoon ; the 

 rest of the day was given to repose and amusement. One- 

 fourth of the crew being allowed after that hour to go on 

 shore, there to remain until daylight next morning. An 

 oven was also built on shore, with bricks found on board the 

 prizes ; and so long as we remained here, fresh bread of 

 an excellent quality was issued every day, to every person 

 under my command. This was not only^dding greatly to 

 their comfort, and probably contributing to preserve their 

 health, but was the cause of great saving of our hard bread, 

 which it was necessary to reserve as a sea stock. Every 

 thing went on as well as I could have wished, and much bet- 

 ter than I could possibly have expected. It only now was 

 necessary, that we should fall on some substitute for salt pro- 

 visions, as we had not yet been enabled to procure hogs in 

 sufficient quantities, to issue to the ships' companies, nor to 

 catch fish with our seine, although we had made repeated 

 trials. The natives did not appear willing to trafi[ic for fruit 

 or hogs : and from the best information I could obtain. I was 



