ABSTRACT
In the Afternoon saw a kind of harbour1 on the W. side of the Isle, we went a little way in, & found 22 fathom fine Sand, afterwards 35 fathom no ground, then 24 coralrock & 27 fine Sand. There were small beaches in various places, & here & there plantations, chiefly of bananas, & several houses & inclosures made of reeds were observed. We saw about 30 natives running up Si down a shore. They seemed black Sc armed with bows & arrows, & one man had two spears, their women had a kind of long petticoats made of leaves & straw hanging down to the half of the leg & deeper. They had much the appearance of the people in Mallicollo, the Men*had the Genitals just so wrapped in, as the former. We soon saw another point & afterwards another bay,2 for which we stood, but we were a breast of it, when it grew dark. A marine who was drawing water for the washing of the deck, leaned too hard upon the rail, which gave way & he fell over board; he could not swim, but the ship was brought to in an instant, several ropes were thrown over board, of one of which he got hold & the Sternladder was thrown over whereon a Man descended & helped him up, which was for the poor fellow a lucky escape.3 In the Evening we saw a great many Smokes & fires
1 Port Elizabeth on the north-west side of Erromanga. As a result of subsequent earth
movements, the corresponding depth is now 14 fathoms, sand and coral, less than a cable off-shore. P. /. Pilot, n, 151.
