Indeed, By This Time, The People,
Especially Those In Our Neighbourhood, Were So Well Reconciled To Us, That
They Shewed
Not the least dislike at our rambling about in the skirts of
the woods, shooting, &c. In the afternoon some
Boys having got behind
thickets, and having thrown two or three stones at our people who were
cutting wood, they were fired at by the petty officers present on duty.
Being ashore at that time, I was alarmed at hearing the report of the
musquets, and seeing two or three boys run out of the wood. When I knew the
cause I was much displeased at so wanton an use being made of our fire-
arms, and took measures to prevent it for the future. Wind southerly, with
heavy showers of rain.[5]
During the night, and also all the 11th, the volcano was exceedingly
troublesome, and made a terrible noise, throwing up prodigious columns of
fire and smoke at each explosion, which happened every three or four
minutes; and, at one time, great stones were seen high in the air. Besides
the necessary work of wooding and watering, we struck the main-top-mast to
fix new trestle-trees and back-stays. Mr Forster and his party went up the
hill on the west side of the harbour, where he found three places from
whence smoke of a sulphureous smell issued, through cracks and fissures in
the earth. The ground about these was exceedingly hot, and parched or
burnt, and they seemed to keep pace with the volcano; for, at every
explosion of the latter, the quantity of smoke or steam in these was
greatly increased, and forced out so as to rise in small columns, which we
saw from the ship, and had taken for common fires made by the natives.
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