I afterwards found he was the identical Amadima of whom interesting mention is made by Peron in his historical account of Captain Baudin's expedition.* (*Footnote.

Peron tome 1 pages 119, 151, 161, and 162.) My inquiries were made partly by signs and partly by a few terms in the Malay language that we had collected from Captain Cook,* and from Labillardiere's account of D'Entrecasteaux's voyage.

Aer (water) was among the foremost of our inquiries, to which we added the terms for pigs, sheep, fowls, and coconuts, (vavee, doomba, mannu, and nieu).
Everything but water was plentiful and could be supplied by paying for them in rupees or bartering them for gunpowder.

On repeating the question for water, their constant reply was, trada aer! trada aer! (no water, no water).

No misunderstanding could have taken place, for on our inquiry, thinking it was for present use, they brought us some to drink.