Next morning I sent over to the cove, where the natives reside, to haul the seine; and took with me a boar, and a young sow, two cocks, and two hens, we had brought from the isles.  These I gave to the natives, being persuaded they would take proper care of them, by their keeping Captain Furneaux’s sow near five months; for I am to suppose it was caught soon after we sailed.  We had no better success with the seine than before; nevertheless we did not return on board quite empty, having purchased a large quantity from the natives.  When we were upon this traffic, they shewed a great inclination to pick my pockets, and to take away the fish with one hand, which they had just given me with the other.  This evil one of the chiefs undertook to remove, and with fury in his eyes made a shew of keeping the people at a proper distance.  I applauded his conduct, but at the same time kept so good a look-out, as to detect him in picking my pocket of an handkerchief; which I suffered him to put in his bosom before I seemed to know any thing of the matter, and then told him what I had lost.  He seemed quite ignorant and innocent, till I took it from him; and then he put it off with a laugh, acting his part with so much address, that it was hardly possible for me to be angry with him; so that we remained good friends, and he accompanied me on board to dinner.  About that time, we were visited by several strangers, in four or five canoes, who brought with them fish, and other articles, which they exchanged for cloth, &c.  These newcomers took up their quarters in a cove near us; but very early the next morning moved off with six of our small water casks; and with them all the people we found here on our arrival.  This precipitate retreat of these last, we supposed was owing to the theft the others had committed.  They left behind them some of their dogs, and the boar I had given them the day before, which I now took back again as I had not another.  Our casks were the least loss we felt by these people leaving us:  While they remained, we were generally well supplied with fish at a small expence.

We had fair weather, with the wind at N.E., on the 9th, which gave us some hopes of seeing the Adventure; but these hopes vanished in the afternoon, when the wind shifted to the westward.

The next morning, our friends the natives returned again, and brought with them a quantity of fish, which they exchanged for two hatchets.

Fair weather on the 12th, enabled us to finish picking, airing, and baking our biscuit; four thousand two hundred and ninety-two pounds of which we found totally unfit to eat; and about three thousand pounds more could only be eaten by people in our situation.

On the 13th, clear and pleasant weather.  Early in the morning the natives brought us a quantity of fish, which they exchanged as usual.  But their greatest branch of trade was the green talc or stone, called by them Poenammoo, a thing of no great value; nevertheless it was so much sought after by our people, that there was hardly a thing they would not give for a piece of it.