About the middle of January, 1831, we left the island of Ovalau for Ambooa, but finding the beche de mer very scarce at Ambooa we went to Angalore. Here we commenced curing the beche de mer. We had obtained about four hundred piculs, when our house caught fire and burned to the ground, consuming about a hundred piculs of the beche de mer. We soon got another house built, but the natives became troublesome, annoying us in every manner possible, both night and day, stealing everything they could get hold of and continually insulting some of our party in the grossest manner, which we dare not resent. I bore it until it became past endurance and I began to fear that they had still worse intentions. I then went on board the ship and informed the captain of the conduct of the natives and my fears. He went on shore with me and was soon satisfied that it would be imprudent to stop longer and immediately made preparations for leaving. Next morning the boats were sent on shore, into which we put everything of value, set fire to our house, and went on board. From here we went to Mathawater, where we continued our business till the 20th of March, when a hurricane commenced from E. N. E. We sent down our light spars, housed our topmasts, sent down lower yards and got everything as snug as possible, but about midnight our anchors began to drag and the foremast was cut away, which fell over the starboard side. Directly the mainmast went by the board, taking with it the head of the mizzenmast three or four feet below the top. The ship still continued to drag, but we could do nothing more but resignedly wait the result, being now wholly at the mercy of the wind and sea. The wind soon shifted to N. W. and blew apparently with double fury. After drifting about seven miles she brought up on a sand spit near the shore. We had on board two chiefs who advised us to stop on board until it moderated and they would see us safe to Mathawater, but the natives began to swim off in considerable numbers, and the captain, fearing they would get to quarreling for plunder and endanger our lives, got his trunk and some few articles into a boat and with a crew went ashore, but were met on landing by a party of natives and plundered of everything. I remained on board until noon, when our decks and indeed every part of our ship were filled with natives collecting such articles as best suited them. They took all the chests and filled them with their plunder. One chief got about 80 whales' teeth tied up in a blanket and attempted to swim on shore with them. He got a short distance from the ship when they became so heavy he had to let them go, and returned to the ship nearly exhausted in struggling to save his treasure.