.iv 
Captain William D A M P IE Ri 
forty Men and Women paffed by * they were a little afraid 
of our People at firft, but, upon their making Signs of 
Friendfhip, paffed quietly * the Men were dreffed very 
line with Feathers about their Heads, and Lances in their 
Hands •, the Women had no Ornament, or any thing to 
cover their Nakednefs, but a Bunch of green Boughs before 
and behind, ftuck under a String, which came round their 
Waifts ; they carried large Baskets on their Heads full of 
Yams. And I have obferved, among all the wild Nations 
1 have known, that they make the Women carry the 
Burdens, while the Men walk before without carrying any 
other Load than their Arms. In the Afternoon I fent the 
Boats afhore for Wood. Some of our Men going to the 
Natives Houfes, found, they were now more fhy than they 
ufed to be, had taken down all the Cocoa-nuts from the 
Trees, and driven away their Flogs : Our People made 
Signs to them, to know what was become of their Hogs, 
and other Things. The Natives, pointing to fome Ploufes 
at the Bottom of the Bay, and imitating the Noife of thofe 
Creatures, fignified, there were Hogs and Goats of feveral 
Sizes, which they expreffed by holding out their Hands at 
feveral Diftances from the Ground. 
30. At Night our Boats came aboard with Wood ; and 
next Morning I went myfelf, with both Boats, up the 
River, to the Watering-place, carrying with me fuch 
Trifles as I thought molt proper to induce them to a Com- 
merce with us : But I found they were very Hay. I faw 
but two Men and a Boy : One of the Men, by fome Signs, 
was perfuaded to come to the Boat’s Side where I was : I 
gave him a Knife, a String of Beads, and a Glafs-bottle * 
the Fellow called out Cocoas, Cocoas, pointing to a Vil- 
lage hard by *, and fignified, that he would go for fome ; 
but he never returned. I took eight or nine Men with 
me, and marched to their Houfes, which I found very 
mean, and their Doors made faff with Withes, the Inha- 
bitants being all withdrawn out of Fear. I vifited three of 
their Village?, and, finding the Houfes abandoned by the 
Inhabitants, I brought out fome fmall Fifhing-nets, in 
Recompence for thofe Things they had of us. As we 
were coming away, we faw two of the Natives •, I fhewed 
them the Things that we carried with us * and called to 
them. Cocoas, Cocoas, to let them know, that I took 
thofe Things, becaufe they had not made good what they 
had promifed by their Signs, and by their calling out 
Cocoas. While I was thus employed, the Men in the 
Yawl filled two Hogfheads with Water, and all the Bar- 
recoes. In the Afternoon I came aboard, and found all 
my Officers and Men very importunate to go to that Bay 
where the Hogs were faid to be. I was loth to yield to 
it, fearing they would deal too roughly with the Natives. 
At laft I confented, fending thofe Commodities I had 
afhore with me in the Morning, and giving them a ftri<ft 
Charge to aft cautioufly for their own Security. The Bay 
i fent them to, was about two Miles from the Ship. As 
foon as they were gone, I got all things ready, that, if 
there was Occafion, I might affift them with my great 
Guns. When they came to land, the Natives appeared, 
fhaking their Lances, and threatening them ; and fome 
were fo daring, as to wade into the Sea, holding a Target 
in one Hand, and a Lance in the other. Our Men held 
up fuch Commodities as I had fent, but to no Purpofe * 
for the Natives waved them off. Seeing therefore they 
could not be prevailed upon, my Men, being refolved to 
have fome Provifion among them, fired fome Mufquets to 
fcare them away * which had the defired Effed upon all 
but two or three, who Rood .Hill in a menacing Pofture, till 
the boldeft of them dropt his Target, and ran away, being 
fhot in the Arm. He, and fome others, felt the Smart of 
our Bullets, but none were killed, our Defign being rather 
to fright than hurt them. Our Men landed, and found 
abundance of tame Hogs running arnongft the Houfes. 
They fhot nine, which they brought away. They had but 
dctle Time * for, in lefs than an Hour after they went from 
the Ship, it began to rain : Therefore they got what they 
could into the Boats •, for I had charged them to come 
away, if it rained. By that time the Boat was aboard, and 
the Hogs taken in, it cleared up, and my Men defired 
£0 make another Trip thither before Night : This was about 
nve m trie Evening, and I confented, giving them Order 
12 “ 
to repair on board, before Night. In the Clofe of the 
Evening they returned with eight Hogs more, and a little 
live Pig * and, by this time, the other Hogs were jerked 
and falted. Thefe that came laft, we only dreffed and 
corned till Morning, and then fent both Boats afhore for 
more Refrefhments, either of Plogs or Roots * but, in the 
Night, the Natives had conveyed aWay their Provifions 
of all Sorts. Many of them were now about the Houfes, 
and none offered to hinder our Boats landing * but, on the 
contrary, were fo amicable, that one Man brought ten or 
twelve Cocoa-nuts, left them on the Shore, after he had 
flieWed them to our Men, and went out of Sight. Our 
People, finding nothing but Nets and Images, brought 
them away * thefe two of my Men brought in a fmall 
Canoe * and, prefently after, my Boats came off I ordered 
the Boatfwain to take care of the Nets * the Images I took 
into my own Cuftody. 
31. I fent the Canoe in the Afternoon to the Place frorri. 
whence they brought her, and in her two Axes, twd 
Hatchets, (one of the helved) fix Knives, fix Looking- 
glaffes, a large Bunch of Beads, and four Glafs-bottles. 
Our Men drew the Canoe afhore, placed the Things to 
the belt Advantage in her, and came off in the Pinnace I 
fent to guard them : And now, being well-flocked with 
Wood, and all my Water-casks full, I refolved to fail the 
next Morning. All the time of our Stay here we had very 
fair Weather, only a Shower of Rain fometimes in the 
Afternoon, which lafted not above an Hour at moft j alfo 
fome Thunder and Lightning, with very little Wind. We 
had Sea and Land-breezes, the former between the South 
South-eaft, and the latter from North-eaft to North-weft,. 
This Place I named ~Port Mount ague ^ in Honour of my 
noble Patron. It lies in 6o° 10' South Latitude, and me- 
ridian Diftance from Cape St. George 15 1 Miles Weft. 
The Country thereabouts is mountainous and woody, full 
of rich Valleys, and pleafant .frefh-water Brooks : The 
Mould in the Valley is deep and yellowifb, that on the Side 
of the Hill of a very brown Colour, and not Very deep, but 
rocky underneath, yet excellent planting Land. The Trees*, 
in general, are neither very ftrait, thick, nor tall * yet ap- 
pear green and pleafant enough * fome of them bore Flow- 
ers, fome Berries, and others big Fruits, but all unknown 
to any of us. Cocoa-nut-trees thrive very well here, as 
well on the Bays by the Sea- fide, as more remote among 
the Plantations * the Nuts are of an indifferent Size * the 
Milk and Kernel very thick and pleafant. Here is Ginger*, 
Yams, and other very good Roots for the Pot, that our 
Men faw and tafted. What other Fruits or Roots the 
Country affords, I know not. Here are Hogs and Dogs *, 
other Land-animals they faw none. The Fowls we fawi 
and knew, were Pigeons, Parrots, Cockadores, and Crows, 
like thofe in England , a fort of Birds about the Bignefs of 
a Black-bird, and fmaller Birds many. The Sea and Ri- 
vers have Plenty of Filh * we faw abundance, though we 
catched but few * and thefe were Cavellies, Yellow tails* 
and Whiprays. 
32. We failed March 22. On the 24th in the Evening* 
about ten o J Clock, I was called out of my Cabin, where 1 
then lay much indifpofed, to fee what the Ship’s Crew 
called a Miracle : On the North-weft by Weft there ap- 
peared a large Pillar of Fire, ffiooting gradually for three 
or four Minutes * then finking in the fame time, till it was 
fcarce vifible ; then rifing again, and blazing as before. I 
knew it immediately to be a Vulcano, or burning Mountain, 
and fleered for it accordingly. On the 25th of the fame 
Month in the Evening, we found ourfelves within three 
Leagues of the Ifland, in which this burning Mountain was, 
and about two Leagues from the Continent. There was a 
good Chanel to pafs between them •, and I kept nearer the 
Main than the Ifland. About feven in the Evening I found- 
ed, and had fifty-two Fathom, fine Sand and Oufe. I flood 
to the Northward, to get clear of this Streight, having but 
little Wind, and fair Weather. The Ifland all Night vo- 
mited Fire and Smoke * and, at every Explofion, we heard 
a dreadful Noife, like Thunder* and faw a Flame of Fire 
after it, the moft terrifying that ever I beheld. The Inter- 
vals between thefe Explofions were about half a Minute, 
fome more, others lefs : Neither were thefe Pulfes or Eru- 
ptions alike * for fome were but faint Convylfions, in com- 
panion 
