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hundred pounds of mullet and other fifh. It was fome time before any of the nativesappeared, and not above twenty or thirty at laft, amongft whom was their trufty friendPaowang, who made them a prefent of a fmall pig, which was the only one they gotat this ifle, or that was offered them.
During the night, the volcano, which was about four miles to the weft, vomitedup vaft quantities of fire and fmoke, as it had alfo done the night before; and theflames were feen to rife above the hill which lay between them and it. At everyeruption, it made a long rumbling noife like that of thunder, or the blowing up oflarge mines. A heavy fhower of rain, which fell at this time, feemed to increafe it;and the wind blowing from the fame quarter, the air was loaded with its afhes, whichfell fo thick that every thing was covered with the duft. It was a kind of fine fand,*>r ftone, ground or burnt to powder, and was exceedingly troublefome to the eyes.
Early in the morning of the 7th, the natives began again to affemble near thewatering-place, armed as ufual, but not in fuch numbers as at firft. After breakfaftthey landed, in order to cut wood and fill water. They found many of the iflandersmuch inclined to be friends, efpecially the old people ; on the other hand, moft of theyounger were daring and infolent, and obliged them to keep to their arms. Thecaptain ftaid till he faw no difturbance was like to happen, and then returned to thefliip, leaving the party under the command of Lieutenants Clerke and Edgcumbe.When they came on board to dinner, they informed him, that the people continued tobehave in the fame inconfiftent manner as in the morning; but more efpecially oneman, whom Mr. Edgecumbe was obliged to fire at, and believed he had ftruok with afwan-fhot. After that the others behaved with more difcretion.
On the 9th Mr. Forfter learnt from the people the proper name of the ifland, whichthey call Tanna. They gave them to underftand, in a manner which they thoughtadmitted of no doubt, that they eat human flefh, and that.circumcifion was pradfifedamong them. They began the fubjedt of eating of human flefh, of their ownaccord, by afking them if they did. One of the men employed in taking in ballaftfcalded his fingers in removing a ftone out of fome water. This circumftance producedthe difcovery of feveral hot fprings, at the foot of the cliff, and rather below high-watermark.
During the night of the 10th, alfo all the nth, the volcano was exceedinglytroublefome, and made a terrible noife, throwing up prodigious columns of fire andfmoke at each explofion, which happened every three or four minutes; and, at onetime, great ftones were feen high in the air. Mr. Forfter and his party went upthe hill on the weft fide of the harbour, where he found three places whence fmoke°f a fulphureous finell iffued through cracks or fiffures in the earth. The groundabout thefe was exceedingly hot, and parched or burnt, and they feemed to keeppace with the volcano; for, at every explofion of the latter, the quantity of fmokeor fteam in thefe was greatly increased, and forced out fo as to rife in fmall columns,which they faw from the Ihip, and had taken for common fires made by the natives.At the foot of this hill are the hot fprings before mentioned.
In the afternoon Mr. Forfter having began his botanical refearches on the other fide°f the harbour, fell in with Paowang’s houfe, where he faw moft of the articles thecaptain had given him, hanging on the adjoining trees and bulhes, as if they were notWorthy of being under his roof.
Several other parts of the hill emitted fmoke or fteam all the day, and the volcanoWas ufually furious, infomuch that the air was loaded with its aihes. The rain which
v ol. xi. 4 l , fell