126 
AN ACCOUNT OF 
, 1783. The King, his brothers, and the Chiefs who were with 
SEPTEMBER* 
him, on receiving this intelligence, feemed to look at our 
countrymen with frefh aftonifhment; they converfed much 
among one another, teftifying by their actions every indica¬ 
tion of furprize.—They walked round the barricade and ex¬ 
amined it with much attention, noticing how ftrongly and 
clofely every part was intrenched and fortified. 
This little ifland of Oroolong having been rendered far 
more commodious to the Englifh by the many necefiary efta- 
• blifhments they had made fince the King had paid them his 
former vifit, there was of courfe a good deal of additional 
novelty for him to attend to.—After he had pointed out 
to his Tackalbys to notice with particular attention every 
thing about the barricade, he ftrolled inquifitively round 
the cove with his company.—-The noife of the forge which 
our people had fet up, and which was then at work, foon 
drew his attention that way: it happened that the boatfwain 
was at that inftant beating out a piece of hot iron upon a 
pig of the fame metal, which he had made his anvil. This 
was a circumftance fo entirely new, and a difcovery fo in- 
terefting to them, that they all flood abforbed in admiration. 
—They could not be perfuaded to keep at a difiance, but 
would get fo clofe to the anvil as to receive occafionally a 
hot fpark on their naked bodies; nor did this deter them 
from catching with their hands the luminous particles that 
flew 
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