The Day Before, They Stole
The Grapling At The Time The Boat Was Riding By It, And Carried It Off
Undiscovered.
I now judged it necessary to have a guard on shore, to
protect the boats and people whose business required their being there; and
accordingly sent the marines, under the command of Lieutenant Edgcumbe.
Soon after I went myself, with my friend Attago, Captain Furneaux, and
several of the gentlemen.
At landing, we found the chief, who presented me
with a pig. After this, Captain Furneaux and I took a walk into the
country, with Mr Hodges, to make drawings of such places and things as were
most interesting. When this was done, we returned on board to dinner, with
my friend and two other chiefs; one of which sent a hog on board the
Adventure for Captain Furneaux, some hours before, without stipulating for
any return. The only instance of this kind. My friend took care to put me
in mind of the pig the old king gave me in the morning; for which I now
gave a chequed shirt and a piece of red cloth. I had tied them up for him
to carry ashore; but with this he was not satisfied. He wanted to have them
put on him, which was no sooner done, than he went on deck, and shewed
himself to all his countrymen. He had done the same thing in the morning
with the sheet I gave him. In the evening we all went on shore again, where
we found the old king, who took to himself every thing my friend and the
others had got.[5]
The different trading parties were so successful to-day as to procure for
both ships a tolerably good supply of refreshments. In consequence of
which, I, the next morning, gave every one leave to purchase what
curiosities and other things they pleased. After this, it was astonishing
to see with what eagerness every one caught at every thing he saw. It even
went so far as to become the ridicule of the natives, who offered pieces of
sticks and stones to exchange. One waggish boy took a piece of human
excrement on the end of a stick, and held it out to every one he met with.
This day, a man got into the master's cabin, through the outside scuttle,
and took out some books and other things. He was discovered just as he was
getting out into his canoe, and pursued by one of our boats, which obliged
him to quit the canoe and take to the water. The people in the boat made
several attempts to lay hold of him; but he as often dived under the boat,
and at last having unshipped the rudder, which rendered her ungovernable,
by this means he got clear off. Some other very daring thefts were
committed at the landing-place. One fellow took a seaman's jacket out of
the boat, and carried it off, in spite of all that our people in her could
do.
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