d embark for an Island to the north west, where
the king lived, and carry us with them as a great curiosity. Lay was
carried back to the chiefs--the head one sent an express to my master
and Lay's to come and see him--they made preparations and set sail for
Milly; where they were closely questioned respecting their going to
the other Island, &c. &c. They denied that they had even intimated any
such design; which was false, for I had frequently heard them talking
on the subject myself, but kept silent, as it appeared to be a great
crime for any to desert their Islands; and I feared the consequences
of making it known.--They then parted in peace and friendship, and I
and my master returned to our habitation.

We then went to an Island to catch fish, and a disagreement taking
place between two of the natives, about some trifling affair, the
particulars of which I did not learn, one of them took a spear
belonging to the other, and after breaking it across his knee, with
one half of it killed his antagonist, and left him. The parents of the
man killed, being present, laid him out on some mats, and appeared to
regret their loss very much. They kept a continual drumming over the
body of the deceased for two or three days; after which he received a
decent burial on another Island at some distance from the Island where
he was killed.

CHAPTER IX.

Having a successful fishing voyage, we loaded our canoe, and carried
our cargo to the chiefs of _Luguonewort_. I had the satisfaction of an
interview with Lay; but our provisions being soon exhausted, we were
obliged to go again in search of fish. At this time there was a severe
drought, and breadfruit trees suffered extremely, many of them
entirely died. The superstitious natives supposed the drought was sent
upon them as a judgment, because myself and Lay were allowed to live.
I informed them that we could neither make it rain nor prevent it; but
some of them were so ignorant that they believed we could control the
weather. But some of the chiefs thought the drought was visited upon
them because they had killed our shipmates, and I was always ready to
join with them in that opinion. The drought continued about four
months with such severity that most of the breadfruit trees on the
small Islands were so completely dried up that they never sprouted
again. Many of the ignorant natives still insisted that their sickness
and drought were occasioned by suffering us to live upon