employed with his party at the wreck, whilst Mr. Cunningham traversed the
hills in the vicinity, for it was not safe to trust himself at any
distance from our people, since the natives would not have failed, had
they met with an opportunity, to punish us for our broken faith.

June 23.

The following day, on the return of our people from the wreck, they
reported that the natives had shown themselves on the opposite side of
the bay; I therefore went to the shore with Mr. Harrison, to endeavour to
make peace, but saw no signs of them, excepting a smoke on the next
island, to which they had probably retired. On the following day they
were again seen, and fired upon by the boat's crew of the Dick.

All these events gave me much concern, not only because the natives may
be induced to attack and take revenge upon strangers who may subsequently
pass this way, but also because they must have imbibed a very poor idea
of the effect of our arms, when so many muskets were fired without doing
them any mischief: and, but for the sake of humanity, I could almost have
wished that one had been killed.

The day after we arrived here, a boat from the San Antonio conveyed Mr.
Montgomery and Mr. Cunningham to Clack's Island. The reef abounded with
shells, of which they brought back a large collection, but not in any
great variety; an indifferent cypraea was the most common; but there were
also some volutae and other shells, besides trepang and asteriae, in
abundance. Mr. Cunningham observed a singularly curious cavern upon the
rock, of which he gave me a description in the following account of the
island: