further molested although many other attacks were premeditated by the
natives during the day, they having once or twice approached near the
verge of the cliffs; but their courage forsook them before they were
sufficiently near to throw either spears or stones with effect. A flag
was always hoisted on board whenever they were observed advancing, which
prepared our people on the beach to give them a reception. This signal
was certainly noticed by the natives, for they always stopped short the
moment it was displayed.

The run of water was so trifling that we could not procure more than from
sixty to one hundred gallons per day, for while the high tides lasted the
well in the morning was always found full of salt water. This
inconvenience did not occur last year because it was not found necessary
to dig a hole, the stream being of itself sufficiently abundant for our
purpose.

August 10 to 16.

The delay however was not lost, inasmuch as it gave an opportunity of
finding new rates for the watches, as well as of obtaining a set of lunar
observations for the longitude.

On the 13th Mr. Bedwell went to Sims' Island for turtle but no recent
tracks were observed, excepting the remains of one that had a week before
furnished a repast to the natives. Near to this place were found
disinterred some of the bones of a human body that had been buried in a
grave close by, not longer than two or three months since. The footsteps
of the followers of the body to the grave were still visible in the sand,
but other steps appeared to have been more recently impressed; which must
have been those of the natives, who had dug the body up either from a