Page:Colnett - Voyage to the South Pacific (IA cihm 33242).djvu/100

 beach, where cocoa trees appear in greater numbers, than I have een in any other place. There is alo a rivulet of water eighteen or twenty feet in breadth, which is upplied from a bain, one mile ditant within land, in which our crew, to avoid the harks, went and bathed. Although this bay is o mall, it is very convenient, and as ecure, as the anchoring places generally are, which are not entirely heltered. Its principal inconvenience aries from the contant rains; as out of the four days we were beating off it, it rained during three of them, in the offing, and ometimes with heavy torms of lightning and thunder. Thoe, who were on hore, experienced an equal continuance of the wet weather; and o thick was the rain, that, for eight hours together, we have not been able to ee twice the length of the hip: but this may not be the cae at all eaons. The woollen clothes of thoe who went on hore, which, had been particularly moit from perpiration, and were hung on the buhes to dry, were oon fly-blown, in the different parts that had tuck nearet to the body, and covered with maggots. Should a veel touch here to recover her ick, or to water, or to wait any time, fire would remove the flies; and, as no tent would be ufficient to keep out the water, I would recommend the erection of an houe, wood being in great plenty, and at hand, with cocoa tree leaves in abundance, to thatch it. I aw no plant,