Captain Cook refolved to vifit them in the afternoon, in-
order to qtiiet the apprehenfion which they feemed to have
entertained. We went in two boats, accompanying him'
and feveral of the officers into the cove, where the natives’
had been firft feen. Here we found a double canoe'
hauled upon the fhore, near fome old, low huts, about
which' we faw veftiges of fire places, fome fifhing-netsj“
and a few Scattered fiffa. The canoe which appeared to be
old and in bad order, confided of two troughs or boats'
joined1 together with flicks, tied aorofs- the gunwales with
firings of the New Zeeland flax-plant Each part confided
of planks fowed together with ropes made of’ the
flaxr-plant, and had a carved head eoarfely reprefenting a
human face, with eyes made of round pieces of ear-fhellf
which fomewhat refembled mother of pearl. This canoe
contained two paddles, a bafket full of berries- of the
eoriarm rufcifolia Lin.- and fome fifhes ; but the natives were
not to be feen or heard, which gave us | reafon to believe
that they had retired into the woods. To conciliate their
good will, we left fome medals, looking-glafles, beads, &c;
in the canoe, and embarked again after a fhortftay. We then
rowed to the head of the cove, in order to furvey it, where we
found a fine brook of frefh water coming down on a flat
beach, from whence the water continued fhallow to a con-
* See Hawkefworth’ s compilation, vol; III', p. 443.
fiderable
fiderable extent, fo that our boat ran aground feveral
times. Ducks, fhags, black oyfler-catchers, and fome
forts of plovers were very numerous here. At our return
we vifited the canoe again, added a hatchet to the other
prefents which we had left before, and to fhew the ufe of.
it, we cut feveral chips out of a tree, and left it flicking
there; No natives appeared this fecond time, though we-
imagined they could not be far off, as we thought we
could fmell the fmoke of a fire. However, captain Goofc.
defifted at prefent from fearching in the woods, fince they
purpofely avoided us, and choofing. to leave it to time and>
their own free will to cultivate an intercourfe with us, he;
returned on board late in the evening.
Heavy fhowers o f rain fell all the next morning, but intermitted:
in the afternoony giving us an opportunity o f
going into the woods above our cove, where the rains had-
fo thoroughly foaked the foil, that together with the other
impediments in walking in this country, the prodigious-
flipperinefs rendered our excurfion laborious and fatiguing.
We met however with a few plants, which ftill fhewed fome*
late blofloms, notwithflanding the advanced feafon; but
we were at the fame time greatly tantalized by the appearance
of numerous trees and fbirubs, which had - already
loft their flowers and fruits, and only ferved to give
us an idea of the great profufion of new vegetables in
this country.
>773.’
M a r c h *-.
Monday 49*
The,-