As we had no anchorage here, we stood along the shore, sending the boats at the same time to sound at a less distance.  As none of these canoes had sails, they could not keep up with us, and therefore soon paddled back towards the shore.  The country has the most delightful and romantic appearance that can be imagined:  Towards the sea it is level, and is covered with fruit trees of various kinds, particularly the cocoa-nut.  Among these are the houses of the inhabitants, consisting only of a roof, and at a distance having greatly the appearance of a long barn.  The country within, at about the distance of three miles, rises into lofty hills, that are crowned with wood, and terminate in peaks, from which large rivers are precipitated into the sea.  We saw no shoals, but found the island skirted by a reef of rocks, through which there are several openings into deep water.  About three o’clock in the afternoon, we brought-to a-breast of a large bay, where there was an appearance of anchorage.  The boats were immediately sent to sound it, and while they were thus employed, I observed a great number of canoes gather round them.  I suspected that the Indians had a design to attack them; and as I was very desirous to prevent mischief, I made the signal for the boats to come on board, and at the same time, to intimidate the Indians, I fired a nine-pounder over their heads.  As soon as the cutter began to stand towards the ship, the Indians in their canoes, though they had been startled by the thunder of our nine-pounder, endeavoured to cut her off.  The boat, however, sailing faster than the canoes could paddle, soon got clear of those that were about her; but some others, that were full of men, way-laid her in her course, and threw several stones into her, which wounded some of the people.  Upon this, the officer on board fired a musket, loaded with buck-shot, at the man who threw the first stone, and wounded him in the shoulder.  The rest of the people in the canoe, as soon as they perceived their companion wounded, leapt into the sea, and the other canoes paddled away in great terror and confusion.  As soon as the boats reached the ship, they were hoisted on board, and just as she was about to stand on, we observed a large canoe, under sail, making after us.  As I thought she might have some chief on board, or might have been dispatched to bring me a message from some chief, I determined to wait for her.  She sailed very fast, and was soon alongside of the ship, but we did not observe, among those on board, any one that seemed to have an authority over the rest.  One of them, however, stood up, and having made a speech, which continued about five minutes, threw on board a branch of the plantain-tree.  We understood this to be a token of peace, and we returned it, by handing over one of the branches of plantain that had been left on board by our first visitors:  With this and some toys, that were afterwards presented to him, he appeared to be much gratified, and after a short time, went away.