around, gave him license to cut down wood, on condition that the cocoa-nut trees should be spared. Matters being thus amicably settled, the Captain and his party returned on board to dine, and the islanders dispersed. It is noticed as a very happy circumstance, that no one appeared to have been. hurt by the shots, either on that day or the day preceding. The British landed again in the afternoon, and while a quantity of water was taken on board, a large supply of mullet, and other fish, was caught with the seine. They saw only a few natives, among whom was their trusty friend Paowang, who presented them with a pig, the only one procured at the island.
Here our navigators remained for a fortnight, during which they not only took in wood, water, and ballast; but repaired the main-top mast, and the tiller. The volcano, which was about four miles to the west of them, was often troublesome. It vomited columns of fire and smoke, sometimes to a prodigious height; and threw up great stones occasionally, with a terrible noise. The air was generally loaded with ashes, which fell at the harbour in the form of fine powder, exceedingly annoying to the eyes, and covering every thing with dust. It was unusually furious during rain; and at such times, the rain which fell at the harbour was like a shower of mire. Excursions were frequently made into the country, and more than once a party set out to visit the volcano: but the natives, who were jealous of such intrusions, refuse to conduct them thither, and even purposely led them out of the way; and so many hilly ridges, densely covered with wood, were found to intervene, that the project was given up. The volcano
