1792-
May. it was highly expedient fhould be done away. T o fatisfy them that it
was the flelh of the deer, we pointed to the fldns of the animal they
had about them. In reply to this they pointed to each other;, and
made figns that could not be mifunderllood, that it was the flelh of human
beings, and threw it down in the dirt, with geftures of great aver-
fion and difpleafure. A t length we happily convinced them of their
miftake by lhewing them a haunch we had in the boat, by which means
they were undeceived, and fome of them ate of the remainder o f the
pye with a good appetite.
This behaviour, whilft in fome meafure tending to fubftantiate their
knowledge or fufpicions that fuch barbarities have exiftence, led üs to
conclude, that the character given o f thé natives of North-Weft America
does ■ not attach to every tribe. Thefe people have- been reprefented
not only as accuftomed inhumanly to devour the flelh o f their conquered
enemies ; but alfo to keep certain fervants, or rather Haves, of
their own nation, for the foie purpofe o f making the principal part of
the banquet, to fatisfy the unnatural favage gluttony o f the chiefs o f this
country, on their vifits to each other. Were fuch barbarities praftifed
once a month, as is Hated, it would he natural to fuppofe thefe people
lb inured, would not have Ihewn the leaft averfion to eating flelh of
any defcription; on the contrary, it is not poflible to conceive a greater
degree of abhorrence than was manifeftefl by thefe good people, until
their minds were made perfectly eafy, that it was not human flelh, we
offered them to eat. This inftance mull heceffarily exonerate at lealt
this particular tribe from fo barbarous a praftice; and, as their affinity
to the inhabitants of Nootka, and o f the fea-coaft, to the fouth'of that
place, in their manners and culloms, admits of little difference, it is but
charitable to hope thofe alfo, oh a more minute inquiry, may be found
not altogether deferving fuch a character. They are not, however,
free from the general failing attendant on a favage fife. One of them
having taken a knife and fork to imitate our manner of eating, found
means to fecrete them under his garment; but, on his being detefied,
gave up his plunder, with the utmoft good humour and unconcern.
They accompanied us from three or four miferable huts, near the
place
place where we had dined, for about four miles ; -during which time they
exchanged the only things they had to difpofe of, their bows, arrows,
and fpears, in the molt fair and honeft manner, for hawk’s bells, buttons,
beads, and fuch ufelefs commodities: -
The firft information of the natives, we found perfectly correft ; and
it was not long before we had every reafon to give credit to the fecond,
by finding the inlet divided into two branches, one taking a northerly
direftion towards the Ihips, giving that, which, in the morning, we had
confidered to be the wellern Ihore of the main inlet, the appearance of
an ifland, 8 or g leagues in circuit ; the other ftretched to-the fouth-
weftward ; and into which ran a very ftrong tide. Although there was little
doubt of our having been preceded in the examination of this branch,
yet, as the ftrength of the influx indicated its extremity to be at fome
diftance, I determined, as we were well fupplied for the excurfion, to
embrace the advantage of fo favorable an opportunity of keeping the
larboard Ihore on board, and of examining fuch inlets as might be found
leading to the le ft; that, in the event of Mr. Puget having been unable
to accomplilh the talk afligned him, our furvey might be completed
without another expedition into this region. With the affiftanee of the
ftrong tide, we rapidly paffed through a fair navigable channel, near
half a league wide, with foundings from 24 to go fathoms, free from any
appearance of Ihoals, rocks, or other interruptions. The eaftern Ihore
was found nearly ftrait and compaft; but on the weftern, three wide
openings were feen, whofe terminations were not diftinguifhable; and
the ftrength with which the tide flowed into the two northernmoft, induced
us to confider them as very extenfive.
Having advanced in a direftion s. 32 w . about 3 leagues from the
fouth, or inner point o f entrance, into an opening, fituated in latitude-
47° 19 b longitude 237*42’, we halted about eight in the evening for the
night, on a fmall ifland, lying about a mile from the eaftern Ihore.
The general character of the fituation in which we had now arrived,
indicated it to be a continuation of the main branch of the inlet, we
had been thus long navigating. The infulated appearance of its weftern
fide, the rapidity of the flood tide, and its increafing width, gave us reafon