Thurfday 4
without any dreffing: they had with them a large piece of
whale blubber, which flunk intolerably, and one of them
tore it to pieces with his teeth, and gave it about to the reft,
who devoured it with the voracity of a wild beaft. They
did not however look upon what they faw in the pofleffion
o f our people with indifference; for while one of them was
afleep, they cut off the hinder part of his jacket with a lharp
flint which they ufe as a knife.
About eight o’clock, we made fail, and found little or no
current. At noon, Cape Upright bore W. S. W. diflant three
leagues; and at fix in the evening, we anchored in the bay,
on the fouthern fhore, which lies about a league to the eaft-
ward o f the Cape, and had fifteen fathom water.
While we were lying here, and taking in wood and water,
feven or eight Indians in a canoe came round the weftern
point o f the bay, and having landed oppofite to the fhip,
made afire-. We-invited them to come on board by all the
figns we could devife, but without fuccefs; I therefore took
the jolly boat, and went on fhore to them. I introduced
myfelf by making them prefents of feveral trifles, with
which they feemed to be much gratified, and we became
very intimate in a few minutes : after we had fpent fome
time together, I fent away my people, in the boat, for fome
bread, and remained on fhore with them alone. When the
boat returned with the bread, I divided it among them, and
I remarked with equal pleafure and furprife, that i f a bit of
the bifcuit happened to fall, not one o f them offered to'
touch it till I gave my confent. In the mean time fome o f
my people were cutting a little grafs for two or three fheep
which I had ftill left on board, and at length the Indians
perceiving what they were doing, ran immediately, and
tearing up all the weeds they could get, carried them to the
boat,
boat, which in a very fhort time was filled almoft up to her
gunwale. I. was much gratified by this token of their goodwill,
and I could perceive that they were pleafed with the
pleafure that I exprefled upon theoccafion: they had indeed
taken fuch a fancy to us, that when I returned on board the
boat, they all got into their,canoe, and followed me. When
we came near the fhip, however, they flopped, and gazed at
her as i f held in furprife by a mixture of aflonifhment and
terror; but at laft, though not without fome difficulty, I prevailed
upon four or five of them to venture on board. As
foon as they entered the fhip I made them feveral prefents,
aiid in a very little time they appeared to be perfectly at
eafe. As I was very defirous to entertain them, one of the
midfhipmen played upon the violin, and fome o f my people
danced; at this they were fo much delighted, and fo impatient
to fhow their gratitude, that one o f them went over the
fhip’s fide into the canoe, and fetched up a feal flrin bag of
red paint, and immediately fmeared the fiddler’s face all
over with it: he was very defirous to pay me the fame compliment,
which however I thought fit to decline ; but he
made many very vigorous efforts to get the better of my mo-
defty, and it was not without fome difficulty that I defended
myfelf from receiving the honour he defigned me in my own
defpight. After having diverted and entertained them feveral
hours, I intimated that it would be proper for them to go
on fhore; but their attachment was fuch, that it was by no
means an eafy matter to get them out o f the fhip. Their
canoe was not o f bark, but of planks fewed together.
Tharfday 4*
On Sunday the 7th, at fix o’cloc,k in the morning;,, we „ ,
• 1 1 .1 , , 0 Sunday 7.
weighed, with a moderate breeze at E. N. E. and fine weather.
At feven, we were abreaft of Cape Upright; and at
noon, it bore E. S. E. diflant four leagues: foon after we tried
Vo l . I. M ‘ " the