PORTER’S JOURNAL. 
31 
which seemed to afford them more pleasure than all the rest; they 
hugged and kissed the gun, lay down beside it and fondled it with 
the utmost delight, and at length slung it to two long poles and car¬ 
ried it toward the mountain. On their first attempt to lift it with a 
few men, the weight seemed to astonish them; they declared that 
it stuck to the ground; they soon however raised it by additional 
numbers, and bore it off with apparent ease. 
While the natives were employed with their darling gun, I 
occupied myself in forwarding as much as possible the ship’s 
duty; and as an additional security to our camp, landed another 
six pounder, and mounted also a long wall piece. The ship was 
soon stripped of her rigging; her provisions, stores, and ammuni¬ 
tion put on board the prizes. The carpenters were employed in 
caulking her seams, the coopers in setting up new water casks (of 
which our prizes afforded us an abundant supply) to supply the 
place of the old, which were nearly all found rotton. Our men 
were employed overhauling and refitting the rigging, and the duty 
of every one allotted to them. No work was exacted from any 
person after four o’clock in the afternoon; the rest of the day was 
given to repose and amusement. One fourth of the crew being 
allowed after that hour to go on shore, there to remain until day¬ 
light next morning. An oven was also built on shore with bricks 
found on board the prizes; and so long as we remained here fresh 
bread of an excellent quality was issued every day to every per¬ 
son under my command: this was not only adding greatly to their 
comfort, and probably contributing to preserve their health, but 
was the cause of great saving of our hard bread which it was ne¬ 
cessary to reserve as a sea stock. Every thing went on as well as 
I could have wished, and much better than I could possibly have 
expected. It only now was necessary that we should fall on some 
substitute for salt provisions, as we had not yet been enabled to 
procure hogs in sufficient quantities to issue to the ships’ compa¬ 
nies, nor had we been able to catch fish with our seine, although we 
had made repeated trials. The natives did not appear willing to 
traffic for fruit or hogs; and from the best information I could 
obtain I was induced to believe there was a considerable scarci¬ 
ty of both in the valley, A few had been furnished as presents* 
but no persuasions would induce them to sell any to us, even for. 
