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which had been quitted by the marines, the other fetched a compafs by the fwamp fo that we could not see them: when they perceived that we had formed into one body, they flacken, ed their pace, but ftill followed us in a gentle walk that they flackened their pace, was for us, as well as for them, a fortunate circumstance; for when we came to the fide of the river, where we expected to find the boats that were to carry us over to the wooders, we found the pinnace at leaft a mile from her ftation, having been fent to pick up a bird which had been shot by the officer on fhore, and the little boat was obliged to make three trips before we could all get over to the rest of the party. As foon as we were drawn up on the other fide, the Indians came down, not in a body as we expected, but by two or three at a time, all armed, and in a fhort time their number increased to about two hundred: as we now defpaired of making peace with them, feeing that the dread of our small arms did not keep them at a distance, and that the fhip was too far off to reach the place with a fhot, we refolved to re-imbark, left our ftay fhould imbroil us in another quarrel, and cost more of the Indians their lives. We therefore advanced towards the pinnace which was now returning, when one of the boys fuddenly cried out, that his uncle was among the people who had marched down to us, and defired us to stay

and

1769. October.

and talk with them: we complied, and a parley immediately commenced between them and Tupia; during which the boys held up every thing Tuesday 10% we had given them as tokens of our kindness and liberality; but neither would either of the boys swim over to them, or any of them to the boys. The body of the man who had been killed the day before, ftill lay exposed upon the beach; the boys feeing it lie very near us, went up to it, and covered it with some of the clothes that we had given them; and soon after a single man, unarmed, who proved to be the uncle of Maragovete, the youngest of the boys, fwam over to us, bringing in his hand a green branch, which we fuppofed, as well here as at Otaheite, to be an emblem of peace. We received his branch by the hands of Tupia, to whom he gave it, and made him many prefents; we alfo invited him to go on board the hip, but he declined it; we therefore left him, and expected that his nephew, and the two other young Indians would have ftaid with him, but to our great furprise, they chofe rather to go with us. As foon as we had retired, he went and gathered another green branch, and with this in his hand, he approached the dead body which the youth had covered with part of his clothes, walking fideways, with many ceremonies, and then throwing it towards him. When this was done, he returned to his companions, who had fat down upon the fand to obferve

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1769.

Cctober.

obferve the iffue of his negociation they immediately gathered round him, and continued in Tuesday 10. a body above an hour, without feeming to take

any farther notice of us. We were more curious than they, and obferving them with our glaffes from on board the fhip, we faw fome of them cross the river upon a kind of raft, or catamarine, and four of them carry off the dead body which had been covered by the boy, and over which his uncle had performed the ceremony of the branch, upon a kind of bier, between four men: the other body was ftill fuffered to remain where it had been first left.

After dinner, I directed Tupia to ask the boys, if they had now any objection to going afhore, where we had left their uncle, the body having been carried off, which we understood was a ratification of peace: they faid, they had not; and the boat being ordered, they went into it with great alacrity: when the boat, in which I had fent two midshipmen, came to land, they went willingly afhore; but soon after she put off, they returned to the rocks, and wading into the water, earnestly entreated to be taken on board again; but the people in the boat, having posttive orders to leave them, could not comply. We were very attentive to what happened on fhore, and keeping a constant watch with our glaffes, we faw a man pass the river upon another raft, and fetch them to a place where forty

or

1769. October.

or fifty of the natives were affembled, who clofed round them, and continued in the fame place till fun-set: upon looking again, when we faw Tuesday 10. them in motion, we could plainly distinguish our three prisoners, who feparated themselves from the reft, came down to the beach, and having waved their hands three times towards the ship, ran nimbly back and joined their companions, who walked leisurely away towards that part which the boys had pointed to as their dwelling-place; we had therefore the greatest reason to believe that no mischief would happen to them, especially as we perceived that they went off in the clothes we had given them.

After it was dark, loud voices were heard on fhore in the bottom of the bay as ufual, of which we could never learn the meaning.

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1769. October.

CHA P. II.

A Defcription of Poverty Bay, and the Face of the adjacent Country. The Range from thence to Cape Turnagain, and back to Tolaga with fome Account of the People and the Country, and feveral Incidents that happened on that Part of the Coaft.

TH

HE next morning, at fix o'clock, we weighed, and stood away from this unWednef. 11. fortunate and inhofpitable place, to which I gave the name of POVERTY BAY, and which by the natives is called TAONEROA, or Long Sand, as it did not afford us a fingle article that we wanted except a little wood. It lies in latitude 38° 42′ S. and longitude 181° 36′ W.; it is in the form of an horfe-fhoe, and is known by an island lying clofe under the north east point: the two points which form the entrance are high, with steep white cliffs, and lie a league and a half, or two leagues from each other, N. E. by E. and S. W. by W.; the depth of water in the bay is from twelve to five fathom, with a fandy bottom and good anchorage; but the fituation is open to the wind between the

fouth

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