69 
on the beach, at the sight of which I con- 
fess all my apprehensions were redoubled. 
It contained sixty gallons of rum, a quan- 
tity sufficient to have intoxicated the whole 
of the natives, although they amounted to 
at least 300. I had heard of their fondness 
for such liquors, and dreaded the conse- 
quences of their being inebriated. The 
only way left was to steal to the spot where 
the cask lay and stave in the head, without 
being perceived by them. This I happily 
accomplished, and they afterwards stripped 
the vessel of the iron hoops, without dis- 
covering what I had done, or what it for- 
merly contained. 
In the general search on the shore, one 
of the Caffrees had picked up the ship's 
compass. Not knowing what it was, yet 
pleased with its formation, he delivered it 
to the chief, who immediately took it to 
pieces ; and after contemplating the vari- 
ous parts, took the copper ring in which 
it hung, and suspended it from his neck. 
He appeared highly pleased with the or- 
nament J and this circumstance induced 
me to present him with one still more 
