The cocks, of which half a dozen were purchased, displaying considerable game, two were pitted against each other, and, as quickly as one was beaten, another was backed against the victor, until they were tired of fighting, when their heads were cut off, and we supped upon the belligerents. The captain went ashore and found that no American or European ship had been here for several years. In the evening great numbers of the natives came down and waded into the water; at first I thought they were bathing, but afterward discovered that they were engaged in fishing for a diminutive fish, which I think, from their appearance, must have been sardines. On the ensuing morning, the captain having learned that we lay in a bad position, we hove up our anchor and ran a short distance to the northward, and again came to in the same depth of water. During this day we were occupied in getting off water, and reeving new lanyards to our lower rigging; and this laborious work in latitude 8°, was rather warm. We were visited by many boats from the shore, and at noon had a comfortable dinner of sweet potatoes, rice, chickens, &c. On the succeeding day the starboard watch went ashore on liberty, each member of it provided with half a dozen yards of gaudy-colored, large-figured calico. We walked about half a mile from the landing, and came to anchor at the market, where we found a concourse of men, women, and children, with their wares exposed to view, busily soliciting purchasers. This market was situated in the open air, near by a cocoa-nut grove. They had for sale monkeys, parrots, cockatoos, cooked and uncooked rice, poultry, limes, lemons, oranges, and figs, besides the fruits before mentioned. These last were to be bought for a song, and as we had been so long without these luxuries, they were freely indulged in; but what suited my palate best was the banana fried in cocoa-nut oil, which an old woman was busily engaged preparing--plucking the fruit from the tree and cooking it. Our appearance set these merchants agog, but they were not at all obtrusive, and waited until we directed our attention to them before they approached us; then they surrounded us, a dozen at a time asking, how much this was, all their English; but we were not anxious to part with our goods before discovering the state of the market. Soon a man joined us whose complexion presented a queer appearance, being formed of half a dozen different shades, arranged in spots, differing in size as in color, from the size of a five cent piece to that of a silver dollar, and in shade from a light yellow to a deep copper tint; he was well made, and had the appearance and manners of one of the better class; he conversed in intelligible sailor English, mixed with French and Spanish, and evidently considered himself a great linguist. From his account of himself I suppose that he was the rajah’s clerk. He seemed anxious for me to describe, on the sand, some