d them, but
they had nothing. Why this was done I cannot say, for we had plenty
provisions in the boat. Some of this fish he gave to me, and his
servants sold the rest on board the ship. As we proceeded down the
inlet, we overtook a large sailing canoe. Every person on board her,
that was upon his legs when we came up, sat down till we had passed;
even the man who steered, though he could not manage the helm, except in
a standing posture.

Poulaho, and others, having informed me, that there was some excellent
water on Onevy, a little island, which lies about a league off the mouth
of the inlet, and on the north side of the eastern channel, we landed
there, in order to taste it. But I found it to be as brackish as most
that we had met with. This island is quite in a natural state, being
only frequented as a fishing place, and has nearly the same productions
as Palmerston's Island, with some _etoa_ trees. After leaving Onevy,
where we dined, in our way to the ship, we took a view of a curious
coral rock, which seems to have been thrown upon the reef where it
stands. It is elevated about ten or twelve feet above the surface of the
sea that surrounds it. The base it rests upon, is not above one-third of
the circumference of its projecting summit, which I judged to be about
one hundred feet, and is covered with _etoa_ and _pandanus_ trees.

When we got on board the ship, I found that every thing had been quiet
during my absence, not a theft having been committed, of which Feenou,
and Futtafaihe, the king's brother, who had undertaken the management of
his countrymen, boasted not a little. This shews what power the chiefs
have, when they have the will to execute it; which we were seldom to
expect, since, whatever was stolen from us, generally, if not always,
was conveyed to them.

The good conduct of the natives was of short duration; for, the next
day, six or eight of them assaulted some of our people, who were sawing
planks. They were fired upon by the sentry, and one was supposed to be
wounded, and three others taken. These I kept confined till night, and
did not dismiss them without punishment. After this, they behaved with a
little more circumspection, and gave us much less trouble. This change
of behaviour was certainly occasioned by the man being wounded; for,
before, they had only been told of the effect of fire-arms, but now they
had felt it. The repeated insolence of the natives, had induced me to
order the musqu