Friday 7.
kind from the power which fancy is perpetually-eierting -to
' aggravate the calamities of life. When I knew the foundings,
I could not forbear Handing clofe round the ifland with
the fhip, though I a-lfo knew it was impoffible to procure
any o f the refrefhments which it produced. The natives ran
along the fhore abreaft o f the fhip, fhouting and dancing; they
alfo frequently brandilhed their long fpears, and rh'en threw
themfelves backward, and lay a few minutes motionlefs, as
i f they had been dead: this we underftood as a menace that
they would kill us, i f we ventured'to go on fhore. 'As We'
were failing ^ along the-coaft, we took notice that in olie
place the natives had fixed upright in the fand two fpears to
the top of which they had fattened feveral things that fluttered
in the air, and that fome o f them were every moment
kneeling down before them, as we fuppofed, invoking the
affiftance .of feme invifible Being to defend them ugainft
us. While I was thus circumnavigating the ifland with the
lhip, I fent the - boats out again to found, and when they
came near the fhore, the Indians fet up one o f the mofl hi-
deous yells I had ever heard, pointing at the fame time to
their fpears, and poifing in their hands large ftones Which
they took up from the beach. Our men on the conrrarv
made all the Cgns o f amity and good-will that they could
devife, and at the fame time threw them bread and many
mher things, none o f which they vouchfafed fo much as to
touch, but with great expedition hauled five or fix large
canoes, which we faw lying upon the beach, up into the
wood. When this was done, they waded into the water
andfeemed to watch for an opportunity o f laying hold of
the boat, that they might drag her on ffiofe: the people on
board her, apprehending that this was thfeir defign, and that
if they got them on fhore they would certainly put them to
death, were very impatient to be before-hand with them,
and
and would fain have fired upon them; but the officer on 1765.
board,, hawing no permiffion from mfe to-commit any hofti- . l u m ' _
limes,’ reftrained. them. J filould indeed havethbught my- Friday7‘ ‘
fe if atn liberty to- have*-obtained toy fbree the refr-efliments;
& r want, o f which, our people were dying, if it had been
poffiblc to have come to an -anchor, fuppoftng we could not
have made- theft poor ravages- our friends.;' but nothing
could juftify the taking away their lives for a mere- i-magk
nai;y or intentional injury, .without procuring the leaft advantage
to ourfelves. They.were of a deep copper colour,
exceedingly flout and well limbed,, and remarkably nimble|
and'adliye, fqr I never faw men run fo faff in my life.. This
ifland lies in latitude 14° 5' S., longitude 1 4 5 4 W. from
the meridian o f London. As the boats reported a feCond time
that there was no anchoring ground about this ifland, I determined
to work up to the other, which was accordingly
done all the reft o f the day and the following; night.
At fix. o’clock in the morning o f the 8th,, we brought to Saturday g.
on the weft fide o f it, at the diftance o f about three quarters
o f a mile from the- fhore, but we had no foundings with
one hundred and forty fathom of line. \Ys now- perceived,
feveral other low iflands, or rather peninfulas, mod of them
being joined one to the other by a neck of land, , very narrow,
and almoft level with the furface o f the water, which-
breaks high over it. In approaching.thefe iflands the cocoa-
nut- trees are-firft difeovered, as they- are higher than any
part o f the furface. I fent a boat with an officer from each,
fhip to found the lee-fide of thefe iflands for an anchoring-
place; and’ as foon as they left the fhip,- I.faw the Indians
run down to the beach in great numbers, armed with long
fpears and club s: they kept abreaft o f the boats as they
went founding along the fhore, and.ufed many threatning
9 geftures