not seen any sign of natives--not even smoke--but knew
that there was a big village some miles away, out o' sight of us, an'
that the niggers were a bad lot, and would have a try at cuttin' off if
they saw a slant.

"Early next morning it set in to rain, with easterly squalls, and before
long I saw that there was like to be a week of it, and that we should
have to lie by and wait until it settled. About noon we sighted a dozen
white lime-painted canoes bearing down on us, and Horn, the Dutchman,
began to turn green as usual, and wanted me to heave up and clear out.
I set on him and said I wanted the niggers to come alongside, an' hev a
good look at us--they would see that we were a hard nut to crack if they
meant mischief.

"They came alongside, six or eight greasy-haired bucks in each
canoe--and asked for terbacker and knives in exchange for some pigs and
yams. I let twenty or so of 'em come aboard, bought their provisions,
and let 'em have a good look around. Their chief was a fat, bloated
feller, with a body like a barrel, and his face pitted with small-pox.
He told me that he was boss of all the place around us, and had some big
plantations about a mile back in the bush, just abreast of us, and that
he would let me have all the food I wanted. In five days or so, he said,
we should have fine weather for diving, and he and his crowd would help
me all they could.

"About a quarter of a mile away was a rocky little island of about five
acres in extent It had a few heavy trees on it, but no scrub, and there
were some abandoned fishermen's huts on the beach. I asked the fat hog
if I could use it as a shore station to overhaul our boats and diving
gear when necessary, and he agreed to let me use it as long as I liked
for three hundred sticks of terbacker and two muskets.

"They went off on shore again to the plantations, and in a little while
we saw smoke ascendin'--they were cookin' food, and repairing their
huts. Later on in the day they sent me a canoe load of yams, taro, and
other stuff for the men, and asked me to come ashore and look at the
village. I went, fur I knew that they would not try on any games so
soon.

"There were, in addition to the bucks, a lot of women and children
there, makin' thatch, cookin', and repairin' the pig-proof fencin'. I
stayed a bit, and then came on board again, an' we made snug for the
night.

"Next morning we landed on the island, repaired two of the huts, and
started mendin'