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on by the conspirators for making their attempt. But un- 

 fortunately (or rather fortunately) for them, it so happened 

 that a ship hove in sight off the mouth of the harbour on 

 Saturday afternoon, and on discovering us stood off to sea 

 under a press of sail. The Essex Junior immediately slip- 

 ped her cables, and gave chace to her, and not expectingher 

 back before Monday, 1 put all my prisoners in irons, and 

 thus at once frustrated a scheme which had wholly en- 

 grossed them for the last week. With a determination 

 that 1 would make them suffer for violating their parole, 

 I sent them all on shore to the village, and set them to 

 work in building a wall to surround it, which was finished 

 before my departure from the island. 



On Sunday afternoon the Essex Junior arrived. Mr. 

 Downes had spoke the stranger, which proved to be the 

 American ship Albatross, from the Sandwich islands, and 

 had come for the purpose of procuring sandal-wood. 

 The Albatross did not get in until the next day. The 

 arrival of this ship gave me no pleasure ; for although the 

 meeting with my countrymen in any part of the world but 

 this, would have proved a joyous event, I was in hopes 

 that our arrival and operations here would for a longtime 

 be kept a secret. The evils I apprehended from her ma- 

 king her knowledge of us public, far more than counter- 

 balanced any satisfaction which I expected from her arri- 

 val. Some short time prior to this, an event took place 

 which threatened disagreeable consequences. The matter 

 was however adjusted much to my satisfaction, and on the 

 whole I considered the circumstance which gave rise to it 

 as the most fortunate that could have happened, as it re- 

 lieved me entirely from my anxiety on a subject which of 

 all others had given me the most uneasiness. 



Robert Dunn, quarter-master, had been threatened (by 

 the officer of the watch) with punishment for some neg- 

 lect of duty. Dunn said that the time for which he en- 

 listed had expired, and if he was punished, he would never 

 again do duty in the ship. When this was reported to 

 me, it occasioned me much uneasiness. Most of my crew 

 were in the situation of Dunn, and it became necessary 

 to find a remedy for the evil. Promptness and decision 

 were indispensable, and with as little loss of time as pos- 

 sible I caused all hands to be called on the quarter-deck. 



