' 338
July2* N-w - within the promontory, and nearly at the fummitof a fteep fandy
’---- r— > cliff, we were received by a man who appeared to be the chief of the
party. He approached us alone, feemingly with a degree of formality,
though with the utmoff confidence o f his own fecurity, whilft the reft of
the fociety, apparently numerous,' were arranged and feated in the moft
peaceable manner before their houfes. I made him fuch' prefents as
feemed not only to pleafe him exceflively, but to confirm him in the
good opinion with which he was prepoffeffed ; and he immediately con-
duffed us up to the village by a very narrow path winding diagonally up
the cliff, eftimated by us to be about an hundred feet in height, and
within a few degrees o f being perpendicular. Clofe to the edge of this
precipice flood the village, the houfes o f which were built after the
fafhion of Nootka, though fmaller, not exceeding ten or twelve feet in
height, nearly clofe together m rows, feparated by a narrow paffage
fufftciently wide only for one perfon. On the beach, at the foot of the
cliff, were about feventy canoes of fmall dimenfions, though amongft them
were fome that would carry at leaft fifteen perfons with great convenience.
On a computation, therefore, deduced from thefe and other cir-
eumftances, we were led to confider that this village, though occupying a
very fmall fpace. could not contain lefs than three hundred perfons.
The fpot where it was erefted appeared to be well chofen to infure its
proteftion; the fteep loofe fandy precipice fecured it in front, and its
rear was defended by a deep chafm in the rocks ; beyond thefe was a
thick and nearly impenetrable foreft: fo that the only means of accefs
was by the narrow path we had afcended, which could eafily be maintained
againft very fuperior numbers. Having gratified our curiofity,
and, in return for the cordial attention o f thefe friendly people, made
our acknowledgments by prefents of fuch trivial articles as we had
about us, we took our leave o f the village for the purpofe o f indulging
ourfelves before dark, with a refrefhing walk, on a low margin o f land ex-
tending from the more elevated woodland country, fome diftance along
the water-fide to the northward; a luxury we had not for fome time experienced.
In this excurfion, which was extremely grateful and pleafant,
we faw two fepulchres built with plank about five feet in height, feven
in
in length, and four in breadth. Thefe boards were curioufly perforated J79**
at the ends and fides, and the tops covered with loofe pieces o f plank, i---- >
as if for the purpofe of admitting as great a circulation of air as poffi-
ble to the human bones they enclofed, which were evidently the relics of
many different bodies. A few of the Indians attended us in our walk,
picking the berries from the trees as we paffed, and with much civility,
prefenting them to us on green leaves. The evening approaching obliged
us toYeturn on board, againft a very ftrong ebb tide.
The Chatham having been detained fome hours in Defolation found
after we had failed, had now arrived and anchored near us. She had
been Hopped by her anchor when nearly half up, hooking a ro ck ; every
means that could be devifed had been reforted to without effeft, until the
moment when they were about to cut it away it cleared itfelf, which fortunately
faved the anchor and cable.
With a frefh breeze from the n .w . and a continuation o f pleafant
weather, at high water about three o’clock on faturday morning we were Saturday 14.
under fail, and with the afliftance of the ebb tide, turned about 4 leagues
up the inlet towards a commodious anchoring place, that had been dif-
eoveredby our boats, and was the appointed rendezvous on the return
of the launch and cutter. About fix o’clock we arrived and anchored
in 24 fathoms water, fandy bottom. In this lituation each fide of the arm
formed a bay affording commodious anchorage -, and that on the weftern
fide being the moft extenfive was preferred. Nearly in the center is a fhal-
low bank of fand, with a navigable paffage all around it. The (hips were
ftationed between this bank and the north fide of the bay, near a fmall
Indian village, whofe inhabitants had but little to difpofe of, though
they were very civil and friendly. Whilft turning up in the {hip, many
o f the natives came o ff; but the fwiftnefs of our motion prevented their
coming on board.
The clearnefs of the {ky and atmofphere enabled me to procure fome
obfervations, by which our latitude was afcertained to be 50° 7' 30".
Ten fets of lunar diftances, with thofe made in Defolation found,
amounting in all to twenty-fix fets taken on different fides of the moon,
brought forward by Kendal’s chronometer and the protra&ion, agree-
X x 2 ing