d the bottom to be coral and rock, with very irregular soundings
over it. As soon as the natives saw the boat leave the ship, they sent
off several armed canoes to attack her. The first that came within
bow-shot discharged her arrows at the people on board, who, being ready,
fired a volley, by which one of the Indians was killed, and another
wounded; at the same time we fired a great gun from the ship, loaded
with grape-shot, among them; upon which they all pulled back to the
shore with great precipitation, except the canoe which began the attack;
and that being secured by the boat's crew, with the wounded man in her,
was brought to the ship. I immediately ordered the Indian to be taken on
board, and the surgeon to examine his wounds. It appeared that one shot
had gone through his head, and that his arm was broken by another: The
surgeon was of opinion that the wound in his head was mortal; I
therefore ordered him to be put again into his canoe, and,
notwithstanding his condition, he paddled away towards the shore. He was
a young man, with a woolly head, like that of the negroes, and a small
beard, but he was well-featured, and not so black as the natives of
Guinea. He was of the common stature, and, like all the rest of the
people whom we had seen upon this island, quite naked. His canoe was
very small, and of rude workmanship, being nothing more than part of the
trunk of a tree made hollow; it had, however, an outrigger, but none of
them had sails.

We found this place to be the western extremity of the island on the
north side, and that it lay in exactly the same latitude as the eastern
extremity on the same side. The distance between them is about fifty
miles due east and west, and a strong current sets westward along the
shore.

I was still confined to my bed, and it was with infinite regret that I
gave up the hopes of obtaining refreshments at this place, especially
as our people told me they saw hogs and poultry in great plenty as we
sailed along the shore, with cocoa-nut trees, plantains, bananas, and a
variety of other vegetable productions, which would soon have restored
to us the health and vigour we had lost, by the fatigue and hardships of
a long voyage; but no friendly intercourse with the natives could now be
expected, and I was not in a situation to obtain what I wanted by force.
I was myself dangerously ill, great part of my crew, as I have already
observed, was disabled, and the rest dispirited by dis