1766. On Sunday the 14th, at four in the morning, Cape December. Beachy-head bore N. W. N. diftant about eight 플 Sund, 14. leagues; and at noon, our latitude being 50° 52′ S. and longitude 68° 10′ W. Penguin Ifland bore N. 3500 Monday 15. E. diftant 68 leagues. We were fix leagues from the fhore, and the extreams of the land were from N. W. to W. S. W. At eight o'clock in the morning, of Monday the 15th, being about fix miles from the fhore, the extreams of the land bore from S. by E. to N. by E. and the entrance of the river Saint Croix S. W. 1⁄2 W. We had 20 fathom quite crofs the opening, the diftance from point to point being about feven miles, and afterwards keeping at the distance of about four miles from each cape, we had from 22 to 24 fathom. The land on the north fhore is high, and appears in three capes; that on the fouth fhore is low and flat. At feven in the evening, Cape Fairweather bore S. W. S. diftant about four leagues, a low point running out from it S. S. W. W. We flood off and on all night, and had from 30 to 22 fathom water, with a bottom of fand and mud.. At feven the next Tuesday 16. morning, Tuesday the 16th, we fhoaled gradually into 12 fathom, with a bottom of fire fand, and foon after into fix: we then hauled off S. E. by S. fomewhat more than a mile; then fteered eaft five miles, then E. by N. and deepened into 12 fathom. Cape Fairweather at this time bore W. S. diftant four leagues, and the northermoft extremity of the land W. N. W. When we first came into fhoal water, Cape Fairweather bore W. N. and a low point without it W. S. W. distant about four miles. At noon Cape Fairweather bore W. N. W. W. diftant fix leagues, and a large hummock S. W. W. diftant feven leagues. At this time our latitude was 51° 52′ S. longitude 68° W. At one o'clock, being about two leagues diflant from the fhore, the extreams of three remarkable round hills bore from S. W. by W. to W. S. W. At four, Cape Virgin Mary bore S. E. by S. diftant about four leagues. At eight, we were very near the Cape, and upon the point of it faw feveral men riding, who made figns for us to come on fhore, In about half an hour we anchored in a bay, clofe under the fouth fide of the the Cape, in ten fathom water, with a gravelly bottom. The Swallow and store-ship anchored foon after between us and the Cape, which then bore N. by W. W. and a low fandy point like Dungeness S. by W. From the Cape there runs a fhoal, to the distance of about half a league, which may be easily known by the weeds that are upon it. We found it high water at half an hour after eleven, and the tide rose twenty feet. 1766. December. The natives continued a-breaft of the fhip all night, making several great fires, and frequently shouting very loud. As foon as it was light, on Wednesday morn ing the 17th, we faw great numbers of them in mo- Wednes. 17. tion, who made signs for us to land. About five o'clock I made the fignal for the boats belonging to the Swallow and the Prince Frederick to come on board, and in the mean time hoifted out our own. These boats being all manned and armed, I took a party of marines, and rowed towards the fhore, having left orders with the master to bring the fhip's broad-fide to bear upon the landing place, and to keep the guns loaded with round fhot. We reached the beach about fix o'clock, and before we went from the boat, I made figns to the natives to retire to fome distance: they immediately complied, and I then landed with the captain of the Swallow, and feveral of the officers: the marines were drawn up, and the boats were brought to a grappling near the shore. I then made figns to the natives to come near, and directed them to fit down in a femicircle, which they did with great order and chearfulness. When this was done, I distributed among them feveral knives, fciffars, buttons, beads, combs, and other toys, particularly fome ribbands to the women, which they received with a very becoming mixture of pleasure and respect. Having diftributed my presents, I endeavoured to make them understand that I had other things which I would part with, but for which I expected fomewhat in return. I fhewed them fome hatchets and bill-hooks, and pointed to fome guanicoes, which happened to be near, and fome oftriches which I faw dead among them; making figns at the fame time that I wanted to eat; but they either could not, or would not understand me: for though 1766. December. though they seemed very defirous of the hatchets and the bill-hooks, they did not give the leaft intimation that they would part with any provifions; no traffick therefore was carried on between us. Each of these people, both men and women, had a horse, with a decent faddle, stirrups, and bridle. The men had wooden fpurs, except one, who had a large pair of fuch as are worn in Spain, brass stirrups, and a Spanish cymeter, without a fcabbard; but notwithstanding these distinctions, he did not appear to have any authority over the reft: the women had no spurs. The horfes appeared to be well made, and nimble, and were about 14 hands high. The people had also many dogs with them, which, as well as the horses, appeared to be of a Spanish breed. As I had two meafuring rods with me, we went round and measured those that appeared to be tallest amongst them. One of these was fix feet feven inches high, feveral more were fix feet five, and fix feet fix inches; but the ftature of the greater part of them was from five feet ten to fix feet. Their complexion is a dark copper colour, like that of the Indians in North America; their hair is ftrait, and nearly as harsh as hog's briftles: it is tied back with a cotton string, but neither fex wears any head-drefs. They are well made, robuft, and boney; but their hands and feet are remarkably small. They are cloathed with the fkins of the guanico, fewed together into pieces about fix feet long, and five wide: thefe are wrapped round the body, and fastened with a girdle, with the hairy fide inwards; fome of them had alfo what the Spaniards have called a puncho, a fquare piece of cloth made of the downy hair of the guanico, through which a hole being cut for the head, the reft hangs round them about as low as the knee. The guanico is an animal that in fize, make, and colour, refembles a deer, but it has a hump on its back, and no horns. These people wear also a kind of drawers, which they pull up very tight, and bufkins, which reach from the midleg to the inftep before, and behind are brought under the heel; the reft of the foot is without any covering. We obferved that feveral of the men had a red circle painted round the left eye, and that others were painted on on their arms, and on different parts of the face; the eye-lids of all the young women were painted black. They talked much, and fome of them called out Ca-pi-ta-ne; but when they were spoken to in Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Dutch, they made no reply. Of their own language we could distinguish only one word, which was chevow: we fuppofed it to be a falutation, as they always pronounced it when they shook hands with us, and when, by figns, they asked us to give them any thing. When they were fpoken to in English, they repeated the words after us as plainly as we could do; and they foon got by heart the words "Englishmen come on fhore." Every one had a missile weapon of a fingular kind, tucked into the 'girdle. It confifted of two round stones, covered with leather, each weighing about a pound, which were fastened to the two ends of a string about eight feet long. This is used as a fling, one ftone being kept in the hand, and the other whirled round the head till it is supposed to have acquired fufficient force, and then discharged at the object. They are fo expert in the management of this double-headed shot, that they will hit a mark, not bigger than a fhilling, with both the ftones, at the distance of fifteen yards; it is not their cuftom, however, to ftrike either the guanico or the oftrich with them in the chace, but they discharge them fo that the cord comes against the legs of the oftrich, or two of the legs of the guanico, and is twisted round them by the force and fwing of the balls, fo that the animal being unable to run, becomes an easy prey to the hunter. While we stayed on fhore, we faw them eat fome of their flesh meat raw, particularly the paunch of an ostrich, without any other preparation or cleaning than just turning it infide out and shaking it. We obferved among them several beads, fuch as I gave them, and two pieces of red baize, which we fuppofed had been left there, or in the neighbouring country, by Commodore Byron. After I had spent about four hours with thefe people, I made figns to them that I was going on board, and that I would take fome of them with me if they were defirous to go. As foon as I had made my felf under flood, 1766. December. December. 1466 flood, above an hundred eagerly offered to visit the fhip; but I did not chuse to indulge more than eight of the number. They jumped into the boats with the joy and alacrity of children going to a fair, and having no intention of mischief against us, had not the least tufpicion that we intended any mifchief against them. They fung feveral of their country fongs while they were in the boat, and when they came on board did not express either the curiofity or wonder which the multiplicity of objects to them equally ftrange and tupendous, that at once prefented themfelves, might be fuppofed to excite. I took them down into the cabin, where they looked about them with an unaccountable indifference, till one of them happened to caft his eyes. upon a looking-glafs: this however excited no more. aftonishment than the prodigies which offer themselves to our imagination in a dream, when we converse with the dead, fly in the air, and walk upon the fea, without reflecting that the laws of nature are violated; but it afforded them infinite diverfion: they advanced, retreated, and played a thousand tricks before it, laughing violently, and talking with great emphafis to each other. I gave them fome beef, pork, bifcuit, and other articles of the fhip's provifions: they eat, indifcriminately, whatever was offered to them, but they would drink nothing but water. From the cabin I carried them all over the hip, but they looked at nothing with much attention, except the animals which we had on board as live ftock: they examined the hogs and fheep with fome curiofity, and were exceedingly delighted with the Guinea hens and turkies; they did not feem to defire any thing that they faw except our apparel, and only one of them, an old man, asked for that we gratified him with a pair of fhoes and buckles, and to each of the others I gave a canvas-bag, in which I put fome needles ready threaded, a few flips of cloth, a knife, a pair of fciffars, fome twine, a few beads, a comb, and a looking-glafs, with fome new fix-pences and halfpence, through which a hole had been drilled, that was fitted with a ribband to hang Found the neck. We offered them fome leaves of tobacco, rolled up into what are called fegars, and they fmoaked a little, but did not seem fond of it. I fhewed them |