362
<769* the natives, which is a proof that this part of the country is
November. • # . * '
v——v— -> well inhabited.
Monday 27. At eight o’clock the next morning, we were within a mile
of a group of iflands which lie clofe under the main, at the
diftance of two and twenty miles from Cape Bret, in the di-
■ reftion of N. W. by W. 8 W. At this place, having but little
wind, we lay about two hours, during which time feveral
canoes came off, and fold us fome fifli, which we called Ca-
valles, and for that reafon I gave the fame name to the
iflands. Thefe people were very infolent, frequently threatening
us, even while they were felling their fifli; and when
fome more canoes came up, they began to pelt us with
ftones. Some fmall fliot were then fired, and hit one o f them
while he had a ftonein his hand, in the very action of throwing
it into the fhip: they did not, however, delift, till fome
others had been wounded, and then they went away, and
we flood off to fea.
The wind being direftly againft us, we kept plying to
Wednef. 29. ‘ windward till the 29th, when we had rather loft than gained
ground; I therefore bore up for a bay which lies to the weft-
ward,of Cape Bret; at this time it was about two leagues to
leeward of us ; and at about eleven o’clock we anchored
under the fouth weft fide of one of the many iflands which
line it on the fouth eaft, in four fathom and an half water;
we fhoaled our water to this depth all at once, and i f this
had not happened I fhould not have come to an anchor fo
.foon. The Matter was immediately fent out with two boats
to found, and he foon difcovered that we had got upon a
bank, which runs out from the north weft end of the illand,
and that on the outfide of it there was from eight to ten
fathom.
In
In the mean time the natives, to the;number of near four ^ 9;er
hundred, crouded upon us in their canoes, and fome of them
were admitted on board: to one, who; feemed to be a Chief,
I gave a piece of broad cloth, and diftributed fome trifling
prefents among the reft. I perceived that fome of thefe
people had been about the fhip when fhe was off at fea, and
that they knew the power of our fire-arms, for the very fight-
of a gun threw them into manifeft confufion! under this
impreflion they traded very fairly; but the people in one of
the canoes took the opportunity of our being at dinner to
tow away our buoy: a mufket was fired over them without
effed, we then endeavoured to reach them with fome fmall
fhot, but they were too far off I by this time they had got the
buoy into their canoe, and we were obliged to fire a mufquet
at them with ball: this hit one of them, and they immediately
threw the buoy over board: a round fhot was then fired
over them, which ftruck the water and went afhore. Two
or three of the canoes immediately landed their people, who
ran about the beach, as we imagined in fearch of the ball.
Tupia called to them, and affured them that while they were
honeft they fhould be fafe, and with a little perfuafion many
of them returned to the fhip, and their behaviour was fuch
as left us no reafon to fufped that they intended to give us
any farther trouble.
After the fhip was removed into deeper water, and properly
fecured, I went with the pinnace and yawl, manned
and armed, accompanied by Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander,
and landed upon the illand, which was about three quarters
of a mile diftant: we obferved that the canoes which were
about the fhip, did not follow us upon our leaving her, which
we thought a good fign; but we had no fooner landed than,
they crouded to different parts of the ifland and came on
fhore. We were in a little cove, and ip a few minutes were
V o l . II. 3 A furrounded