schooner Price, which had arrived two days
previous, direct from New-York, with a new supply of goods. Captain
Soper informed me that he had lost one man overboard on his passage
home. I found on board the Price a man named Mores, who had some
interest in the cargo. I gave the command of the sloop to Mr. Tefts, and
took charge of the schooner again. I supplied Captain Tefts with a new
assortment of goods, and ordered him to proceed along the Musquitto
coast and procure all the return cargo he could, and from thence to St.
Blas, where he could meet me in the Price. I proceeded with the Price
direct to St. Blas, where I repainted her. Here Mr. Morse was taken sick
and died, and we buried him on an uninhabited island, and then sailed
for the harbor of Cordee, where I found my Indian trader, Campbell, who
came on board and brought the returns for the goods I had left with him
to sell. He brought on board a quantity of shell, a few bags of cocoa, a
purse of money, and the remnants of the goods, and told me he had three
or four canoe loads of fustic, laying on the beach, which he had
purchased for me. He laid the shell, cocoa, return goods, and the purse
of money down on the deck, telling me that was all he had. I asked him
if he had taken out his wages. He said he had, and we considered all
accounts between us settled, without making any figures. We remained
here two or three days, and purchased a few thousand cocoa-nuts, and
then sailed for the River De Ablo, where I met my other trader, Billy,
who came on board with his returns, which being the same as Campbell's,
I settled his account in the same manner, with one exception. I asked
him if he had taken out his wages, he answered, "Not all," when I handed
back the purse of money to him, and he took out fourteen dollars, and
then returned it, saying, "Now we are even," which was as good as a
receipt.

Campbell was on board acting as pilot, and he and Billy told me they
must go and see my country, which request I readily granted. I purchased
more cocoa-nuts, and took them on board when the Traverse arrived. I put
all the goods I had left of her cargo on board the schooner Price, and
prepared to sail the next morning. That evening we were visited by all
the old men and sookermen in that vicinity, together with forty or fifty
young men; the bottle of rum was passed round among them often during
the night by Campbell or Billy, the old men relating stories and giving
their charge