showed a small keg,
intimating by signs that they wanted it filled; the people in one
of the canoes went to the boat, received the keg, went
immediately on shore, filled it, and brought it back to the boat:
the officer then gave them another small keg, which he meant as a
present, but it was immediately sent on shore by another canoe:
in the mean time a breeze sprung up, the boat steered along shore
and the ship followed: the people who had taken the last keg,
after having filled it, followed our boat with the utmost speed,
came up with her and delivered it; this I thought a striking
proof of the honesty of these people, and it will particularly
appear so, when it is considered, that the keg was hooped with
iron.

As we ran round the western side of the island, we observed a
small bay or cove, into which the boat went, followed by many
canoes, and an immense multitude of people on the shore. We
shortened sail to give the boat time to examine it; she very soon
returned, and Mr. Keltie informed us that there was anchorage in
the bay; we immediately made sail into it, and at noon of the
23d, anchored in twenty-one fathoms soft ground, with some loose
patches of coral; here we were within a cable and a half of the
beach.

In the afternoon, we sent the boats armed to look for fresh
water; a vast multitude of the natives were by this time
assembled on the shore, and the bay was filled with canoes; in
consequence of which we got the ship's guns loaded and ready;
(she mounted six three-pounders) but although they were
exceedingly clamorous, they were still apparently well disposed;
they showed the officer in the boat how to find water by digging
holes in the sandy beach, in the manner frequently practised in
the West-Indies; we followed their advice, and sunk a cask in the
sand; the water flowed into it, but was too much mixed with the
sea water to be used. Some of the natives, however, afterwards
pointed out another place, from which the fresh water issued in a
considerable stream, out of chasms in the rocky face of a high
bank: this discovery set our people upon farther searches, and
they found several such discharges from the side of the bank,
enough to answer our purpose, if the natives remained quiet and
friendly.

This business I was particularly desirous we might be able to
effect, without being under the necessity of convincing them of
our superiority in arms. The first day was spent in endeavouring
to show the