1770.

Julv

within was in general low, and had a thick covering of long grafs; the foil feemed to be fuch as promised great fertility, to any who fhould plant and improve it. In the courfe of the day Tupia faw an animal, which, by his defcription, Mr. Banks judged to be a wolf; they alfo faw three other animals, but could neither catch nor kill one of them, and a kind of bat as large as a partridge; but this alfo eluded all their diligence and kill. At night they took up their lodging clofe to the banks of the river, and made a fire, but the mufquitos fwarmed about them in fuch numbers, that their quarters were almost untenable; they followed them into the fmoke, and almoft into the fire, which, hot as the climate was, they could better endure than the ftings of these infects, which were an intolerable torment. The fire, the flies, and the want of a better bed than the ground, rendered the night extremely uncomfortable, fo that they paffed it not in fleep, but in restless wishes for the return of day. With the first dawn they set out in fearch of game, and, in a walk of many miles, they faw four animals of the same kind, two of which Mr. Banks's greyhound fairly chaced; but they threw him out at a great distance, by leaping over the long thick grafs, which prevented his running: this animal was observed not to run upon four legs, but to bound or hop forward upon two, like the Jerbua, or Mus Jaculus. About noon they returned to the boat, and again proceeded up the river, which was foon contracted into a fresh water brook, where, however, the tide rofe to a confiderable height. As the evening approached it became low water, and it was then fo fhallow that they were obliged to get out of the boat and drag her along, till they could find a place in which they might, with fome hope of rest, pafs the night. Such a place at length offered, and while they were getting the things out of the boat, they obferved a fmoke at the distance of about a furlong: as they did not doubt but that fome of the natives, with whom they had fo long and earnestly defired to become perfonally acquainted, were about the fire, three of the party went immediately towards it, hoping that fo fmall a number would not put them to fight:

when

when they came up to the place, however, they found
it deserted, and therefore they conjectured, that before
they had discovered the Indians, the Indians had difco-
vered them. They found the fire ftill burning, in the
hollow of an old tree that was become touch-wood,
and feveral branches of trees newly broken down, with
which children appeared to have been playing: they
observed alfo many footsteps upon the fand, below high
water mark, which were certain indications that the
Indians had been recently upon the spot. Several
houfes were found at a little distance, and some ovens
dug in the ground in the fame manner as thofe of Ota-
heite, in which victuals appeared to have been dreffed
fince the morning, and, fcattered about them, lay fome
fhells of a kind of clam, and fome fragments of roots,
the refuse of the meal. After regretting their dilap-
pointment, they repaired to their quarters, which was
a broad fand-bank, under the fhelter of a bufh. Their
beds were plantain leaves, which they spread upon the
fand, and which were as soft as a mattress; their cloaks
ferved them for bed-clothes, and fome bunches of grafs
for pillows; with these accommodations they hoped to
pass a better night than the laft, especially as, to their
great comfort, not a mufquito was to be feen. Here
then they lay down, and, fuch is the force of habit,
they refigned themfelves to fleep, without once reflect-
ing upon the probability and danger of being found by
the Indians in that fituation. If this appears strange,
let us for a moment reflect, that every danger, and
every calamity,, after a time becomes familiar, and
lofes its effect upon the mind. If it were poffible that
a man should first be made acquainted with his morta-
lity, or even with the inevitable debility and infirmities
of old age, when his understanding had arrived at its
full ftrength, and life was endeared by the enjoyments
of youth, and vigour, and health, with what an agony
of terror and diftrefs would the intelligence be received!
yet, being gradually acquainted with thefe mournful
truths, by infenfible degrees, we fcarce know when,
they lose all their force, and we think no more of the
approach of old age and death, than thefe wanderers of
an unknown defart did of a lefs obvious and certain evil,
VOL. II.
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the

1770.

July.

1770.

July.

Monday 9.

the approach of the native favages, at a time when they must have fallen an eafy prey to their malice or their fears and it is remarkable, that the greater part of those who have been condemned to suffer a violent death, have flept the night immediately preceding their execution; though there is, perhaps, no inftance of a person accused of a capital crime having flept the first night of his confinement. Thus is the evil of life in fome degree a remedy for itfelf; and though every man at twenty deprecates fourfcore, almoft every man is as tenacious of life at fourfcore as at twenty; and if he does not fuffer under any painful diforder, lofes as little of the comforts that remain, by reflecting that he is upon the brink of the grave, where the earth already crumbles under his feet, as he did of the pleasures of his better days, when his diffolution, though certain, was fuppofed to be at a distance.

Our travellers having flept, without once awaking, till the morning, examined the river, and finding the tide favoured their return, and the country promised nothing worthy of a farther fearch, they re-imbarked in their boat, and made the best of their way to the ship.

Soon after the arrival of this party, the Master alfo returned, having been feveral leagues out to fea, and he was now of opinion, that there was no getting out where before he thought there had been a paffage; his expedition, however, was by no means without its advantage; for having been a fecond time upon the rock where he had feen the large cockles, he met with a great number of turtle, three of which he caught, that together weighed seven hundred and ninety-one pounds, though he had no better instrument than a boat-hook.

The next morning, therefore, I fent him out again, with proper inftruments for taking them, and Mr. Banks went with him; but the fuccefs did not at all anfwer our expectations, for, by the unaccountable conduct of the officer, not a fingle turtle was taken, nor could he be perfuaded to return. Mr. Banks, however, went a-fhore upon the reef, where he saw feveral of the large cockles, and having collected many fhells, and marine productions, he returned at eleven

o'clock

o'clock at night, in his own fmall boat, the Mafter ftill continuing with the large one upon the rock. In the afternoon seven or eight of the natives had appeared on the fouth fide of the river, and two of them came down to the fandy point, oppofite to the fhip; but upon feeing me put off in a boat to speak with them, they all ran away with the greatest precipitation.

1770.

July.

As the Mafter continued abfent with the boat all night, I was forced to fend the Second Lieutenant for him early the next morning in the yawl; and foon after Tuesday 10. four of the natives appeared upon the fandy point, on the north fide of the river, having with them a small wooden canoe with outriggers. They feemed for fome time to be bufily employed in ftriking fifh. Some of our people were for going over to them in a boat, but this I would by no means permit, repeated experience having convinced me that it was more likely to prevent than procure an interview. I was determined to try what could be done by a contrary method, and accordingly let them alone, without appearing to take the leaft notice of them. This fucceeded fo well, that at length two of them came in the canoe within musket fhot of the fhip, and there talked a great deal in a very loud tone. We understood nothing that they faid, and therefore could answer their harangue only by fhouting, and making all the figns of invitation and kindness that we could devife. During this conference, they came infenfibly nearer and nearer, holding up their lances, not in a threatening manner, but as if to intimate, that if we offered them any injury they had weapons to revenge it. When they were almost along-fide of us, we threw them some cloth, nails, beads, paper, and other trifles, which they received without the leaft appearance of fatisfaction. At laft, one of the people happened to throw them a fmall fish; at this they expreffed the greatest joy imaginable, and intimating by figns that they would fetch their companions, immediately paddled away towards the fhore. In the mean time fome of our people, and among them Tupia, landed on the oppofite fide of the river. The canoe, with all the four Indians, very foon returned to the fhip, and came quite along

A a 2

fide,

1770. fide, without expreffing any fear or diftrust. We difJuly. tributed fome more prefents among them, and foon after they left us, and landed on the fame fide of the river where our people had gone a-fhore: every man carried in his hand two lances, and a stick, which is used in throwing them, and advanced to the place where Tupia and the rest of our people were fitting. Tupia foon prevailed upon them to lay down their arms, and come forward without them; he then made signs that they should fit down by him, with which they complied, and feemed to be under no apprehenfion or conftraint; feveral more of us then going a-fhore, they expreffed fome jealoufy left we should get between them and their arms; we took care, however, to fhew them that we had no fuch intention, and having joined them, we made them fome more prefents, as a farther testimony of our good-will, and our defire to obtain theirs. We continued together, with the utmost cordiality, till dinner-time, and then, giving them to understand that we were going to eat, we invited them by figns to go with us; this, however, they declined, and as foon as we left them, they went away in their canoe. One of these men was somewhat above the middle age, the other three were young; they were in general of the common ftature, but their limbs were remarkably fmall; their fkin was of the colour of wood-foot, or what would be called a dark chocolate colour; their hair was black, but not woolly; it was fhort cropped, in fome lank, and in others curled. Dampier fays, that the people whom he faw on the western coaft of this country wanted two of their fore-teeth, but these had no fuch defect; fome part of their bodies had been painted red, and the upper lip and breast of one of them was painted with streaks of white, which he called Carbanda; their features were far from being difagreeable, their eyes were lively, and their teeth even and white, their voices were foft and tuneable, and they repeated many words after us with great facility. In the night Mr. Gore and the Mafter returned with the long-boat, and brought one turtle and a few fhell-fish. The yawl had been left upon the fhoal with fix men, to make a farther trial for turtle.

The