330 SURVEY OF THE INTERTROPICAL 
1819. (September), when there had been no rain for 
Oct. 33 . seven months, and we were told, that when the 
dry season continues so long, there is no running 
stream of fresh water upon the whole island, 
but only small springs, which are at a consider- 
able distance from the sea side * : this con- 
flicting account was discouraging; but, as we 
had lately had much rain, it was hoped that 
there would be a sufficiency in the springs for 
our use. Having fully weighed all these cir- 
cumstances, we bore up for Savu, and, at four 
24, p.m. on the 24th, anchored in Zeba Bay, on the 
north-west side of the island. The bank on 
which the anchor was dropped was so steep 
that, although the anchor was in twelve fathoms, 
the ’vessel was, at the length of forty fathoms 
of cable, in twenty-two fathoms. As we were 
bringing up, two muskets were fired from the 
shore, and a white flag, or rather a rag, was 
suspended to a pole, around which a group of 
people had collected. This flag gave us no very 
favourable idea of the respectability of the place, 
and the meaning of the muskets we could not 
divine, nor indeed ever did discover, unless it 
was that we had anchored on bad ground: 
the boat was then hoisted out, and I went 
on shore, accompanied by Messrs. Bedwell and 
* Hawkesworth, Coll., vol. iii. p. 277. 
