near them to effect my purpose with the certainty of success, I therefore called our people away to resume their work at the wreck, and, after leaving orders with Mr. Bedwell not to fire but in self-defence, and if an opportunity offered, to seize the boy, went on board with the party to breakfast. I had not, however, left the shore long before hostilities again commenced, and several shots were mischievously fired at the natives by some of the Dick's and San Antonio's people, who, being advanced, had very improperly endeavoured to cut off three of them, upon which one of the natives poised his spear with a threat of throwing it, when several muskets were fired at these miserable wretches, who, fortunately for them, got clear off; although one of them by his limping appeared to have been struck in the leg. After this we saw nothing more of them for the day. Mr. Bedwell was 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: