which no language can describe.  When the glass was removed, I invited her, and several of the chiefs that were with her, to go with me on board the ship, in which I had a view to the security of the party that I had sent out; for I thought that while the queen and the principal people were known to be in my power, nothing would be attempted against any person belonging to the ship on shore.  When we got on board, I ordered a good dinner for their entertainment, but the queen would neither eat nor drink; the people that were with her eat very heartily of whatever was set before them, but would drink only plain water.

In the evening our people returned from their excursion, and came down to the beach, upon which I put the queen and her attendants into the boats, and sent them on shore.  As she was going over the ship’s side, she asked, by signs, whether I still persisted in my resolution of leaving the island at the time I had fixed; and when I made her understand that it was impossible I should stay longer, she expressed her regret by a flood of tears, which for a while took away her speech.  As soon as her passion subsided, she told me that she would come on board again the next day; and thus we parted.

SECTION VII.

An Account of an Expedition to discover the Inland Part of the Country, and our other Transactions, till we quitted the Island to continue our Voyage.

After the mate came on board, he gave me a written account of his expedition, to the following effect: 

“At four o’clock in the morning of Saturday the 25th of June, I landed, with four midshipmen, a Serjeant and twelve marines, and twenty-four seamen, all armed, besides four, who carried hatchets and other articles of traffic, and four who were loaded with ammunition and provisions, the rest being left with the boat:  Every man had his day’s allowance of brandy, and the hatchet-men two small kegs, to give out when I should think proper.”

“As soon as I got on shore, I called upon our old man, and took him with us:  We then followed the course of the river in two parties, one marching on each side.  For the first two miles it flowed through a valley of considerable width, in which were many habitations, with gardens walled in, and abundance of hogs, poultry, and fruit; the soil here seemed to be a rich fat earth, and was of a blackish colour.  After this the valley became very narrow, and the ground rising abruptly on one side of the river, we were all obliged to march on the other.  Where the stream was precipitated from the hills, channels had been cut to lead the water into gardens and plantations of fruit-trees:  In these gardens we found an herb which had never been brought down to the water-side, and which we perceived the inhabitants eat raw.  I tasted it, and found it pleasant, its flavour somewhat resembling that of the West Indian spinnage, called Calleloor, though its leaf was very different.