1767. anchor; but at 11 o’clock they returned, with no better fuc«
. J“ne' . cefs than before. The people told me that the whole ifland
whitfunday was furr0Unded by a reef, and that although on the weather
fide of the ifland there was an opening through it, into, a
large bafon, that extended to the middle of the ifland, yet
they found it fo fu ll o f breakers, that they could not venture
in ; neither indeed had they been able to: land on any part o f
the ifland, the furf running ftill higher than, it had done the
day before. As it would therefore anfwer no purpofe to continue
here, I hoifted the boats in, and flood away for the
other ifland, which bore S. 22 ° E. diftant about four leagues.
The ifland which I now quitted, having been, difcovered on.
whitfun- Whitfun-eve, I called it W hitsun Island. It is about four
miles long, and three wide, lts.latitude is 19° 26' S. and its
longitude, by obfervation, 137° 56' W.
When we came under the lee o f the other ifland, I fent
Lieutenant Furneaus, with the boats manned and armed, to
the fhore, where I faw about fifty o f the datives armed with
long pikes, and feveral of them running about with firebrands
in their hands. I ordered Mr. Furneaux to go K> that
part of the beach where we faw the people, and endeavour
to traffic with them- for fruit and water, or whatever elfe
might be u fe fu l; at the fame time, being particularly careful
to give them no offence. I ordered him a lfo fo employ the
boats in founding for anchorage. About feven ©’’clock he
returned, and told me that he could find no-ground1 with the
line, till he came within h a lf a cable’s length of the fhore,
and that there it confcfted of fharp rocks, and lay very deep.
As the boat approached the fhore, the Indians thronged
down towards the beach, and put themfelves upon their
guard with their long pikes, as i f to difpute the landing.
Our men then lay upon their oars, and made figns qf friend-
. 2 fhip,
fhip, fhewing at the fame time feveral firings o f beads, *767.
ribands, knives, and other trinkets. The Indians ftill made «_____ ,
figns to our people that they fhould depart, but at the fame WlMty“"dax
time eyed the trinkets with a kind of wifhful curiofity.
Soon after fome of them advanced: a few fteps into the fea,
and our people making figns; that they wanted cocoa-nuts
and water, fome o f them brought down a fmall quantity o f
both, and ventured to hand them into the boat: the water
was in cocoa-nut fhells, and the fruit was ftripped o f its outward
covering, which is probably ufed for various purpofes.
For this fupply they were paid with the trinkets that had
been fhewed them, and fome nails, upon which they feemed
to fet a much greater value. During this traffic, ode o f
the Indians found means to ileal a filk handkerchief, in
which fome of our fmall merchandize was wrapped up, and
carried it clear off, with its . contents, fb dexteroufly, that
no body obferved him. Our people made figns that a handkerchief
had been ftolen, but they either could not, or
would not underftand them. The boat continued about the
beach, founding for anchorage, till it was dark; and having;
many times endeavoured to perfuade the natives to bring
down fome fcurvy-grafs, without fuccefs, fhe returned on
board.
I flood off and on with the fhip all night, and as foon as Monday, si.
the day broke, I fent the boats again, with orders to make-
a landing, but without giving any offence to the natives,
that could poffibly be avoided. When our boats came near
the fhore, the officer was greatly furprifed to fee feven large
canoes, with two flout mails in each, lying juft in the furf,.
with all the inhabitants upon the beach, ready to embark.
They made figns to our people to go higher up; they readily,
complied, and as foon as they went afhore, all the Indians,
embarked, and failed away to the weftward, being joined*
b y