120 
SURVEY OF THE INTERTROPICAL 
1818. heads, and if this had the desired effect, it 
May 26. was a happy circumstance for them, for an im- 
mense shark was caught in the middle of the 
night, which, from the extraordinary capacity of 
its mouth and maw, could have swallowed one 
of them with the greatest ease. On opening the 
animal, we fully expected to discover the limbs 
of some of the natives, who we assured our- 
selves had crossed over to our side the water ; 
but we only found a crab, that had been so re- 
cently swallowed, that some of our people made no 
hesitation in eating it for their supper. The night 
passed without our being disturbed by or hearing 
27 - any thing of the natives ; but, at daylight, on look- 
ing at the place where they had been concealed 
during the last evening, a canoe, which had been 
observed hauled up among the bushes, was 
missing, and we concluded that they were close to 
us ; this proved to be the case, for no sooner 
had we cleared the point, than the natives sallied 
forth from the thicket, and, running up to their 
middles in the water to within thirty yards of 
the vessel, set up a loud shout which startled us 
not a little ; for, busied as we were in securing 
the anchor and making sail, our attention at the 
moment was otherwise directed; and the first 
intimation that we had of their vicinity was from 
the noise they made, which was accompanied by 
