We continued curing beche-le-mer on shore, while those on board were putting the ship in order and nothing particular occurred until the 30th of January when the natives on shore maliciously set fire to our houses and destroyed 60 piculs of beche-le-mer, trade, clothes, etc., and the men with difficulty got on board the ship, at midnight. The next morning we discovered they had broken our kettles for the purpose of getting the wrought iron. We found their principal object in setting fire to our houses was plunder and we immediately sent for the King[21] or principal Chief of the Bay. He came on board and informed us that our houses, being built by an inferior Chief, were more liable to be troubled by the natives. He advised us to use the houses that were employed by the brig _Quill_, as he built them himself, and he being the King of the Island and Bay, the natives would not dare to trouble them. On the 2nd of February we commenced curing fish in the houses of the King, the blacksmith having mended the kettles. On the 10th, as the beche-le-mer began to grow scarce on the reefs, it was determined on the advice of the King to go to another bay, about 40 miles distant and build new houses and employ the natives in that place. On February 19th, the launch, in charge of the 1st officer, was sent round to the Bay with 10 men to prepare for curing the fish and two days later, having taken on board all the things from the shore, we got underweigh and stood out of the Bay of Miamboo. On the 23rd, we arrived safe in the bay called Aloa by the natives, and found the King with his men had completed the houses and were all prepared to prosecute the business of purchasing and curing the beche-le-mer. Here we continued to cure fish without any interruption till March 23rd, when the interpreter was dispatched about 90 miles to a place call’d Baratta to purchase hogs, with the Chief of that place. We found on April 9th that we had upwards of 1000 piculs beche-le-mer, 350 pounds tortoise shell and some sandalwood, so we settled with the natives and burnt our houses[22] and put the ship in readiness to go to sea. Four days later the interpreter arrived, bringing 90 hogs, and informed us that the ship _Clay_,[23] Capt. Millet, of Salem, was at Bow and had brought letters from our friends which the interpreter delivered to us.