C H A P T E R IX.
TranfaSlionsin Crofifound—Proceed to fea—Account o f a boat excurfion—
Defcription o f port Althorp and Crofs found— Afronomical and nautical
obfervations.
A L T H O U G H the leather, during the night and morning, had been
very rainy, yet it did not prevent our being vifited by the natives in
feven or eight canoès, containing men, women, and children ; who, from
this early vifit, we had great1 reafon to fuppofe had their relidenee at no
great diffance. It appeared that they had taken up a temporary abode
on one of the two fmall branches in this cove, for the purpofe, it ffiould
feem, of being our near neighbours/ Their numbers were afterwards
fo augmented that we had frequently near an hundred about the veffèls,
who, notwithftanding the weather was foggy, rainy, and very unpleafant,
furnilhed us with a tolerable fupply of halibut and falmon ; the latter was
of a very inferior fort, and poffelfed little or no talie ; in addition to thefe
effentials, they difpofed of a few indifferent fea otter fkins: in this traffic
they dealt very honeftly, and in the other parts of their conduft they
feemed to fhew an open, cheerful, and lively difpofition; yet no one
was inclined to trull himfelf in our power on board, although on ffiore
they were affable and familiar.
Since our arrival on the coaft this feafon, the (late of my health had
been too indifferent to allow of my taking any ffiare in the feveral dillant
boat excurfions; but as it feemed to be highly probable, from the extremely
broken appearance of this cxtenlivc Opening in the coaft, that
Mr. Whidbéy might be led to a great diftance, in land, by purfuing the
continental
continental Ihore, and by that means be precluded from examining the ’ w-.
various illands that appear to lie before it, and to form the external '— y — J
boundaries of this found; and confidering myfelf now fufficiently recruited
to be equal to that talk, early in the morning of the 14th I fat
out for that purpole, but by noon I was obliged to return, in conle-r
quence of being feized with a moll violent indifpofition, which terminated
in a bilious cholic, that confined me for feveral days to my apartments.
During my abfence a fail had been defcried in the offing, which had
been fuppofed to be the Jackall, and on my return a boat was fent to
afford her every afliftance in our power. At three the next morning Tuefday 15.
the boat returned from the veffel, which was found to be a brig named
the Arthur, commanded by a Mr. Barber, belonging to Bengal, but laft
from port Jackfon. A t noon lhe anchored in this port, off the illand
forming its weftern fide, to the fouth of the ftation we had taken. The
Indians were as ufual about our veffels, bufily employed in commercial
dealings ; but on the arrival of this veffel, I thought it proper to prohibit
the purchafe of furs, by any of our peopte.
The fame very unpleafant weather continued with little variation ; the
wind blowing a llrong gale from the eaftward. On friday afternoon our Friday 18.
amicable intercourfe with the inhabitants of the . country was in fome
meafure interrupted, by one of them having been' detected in the a£t of
-Healing fome of the lower part of the rudder chains. Some mulkets had
been fired to induce thofe in the canoe to .return their prize to no. effe&;
the launch, was therefore fent in purfuit of the canoe, and juft as the
Indians were about to. land the canoe overfet, by which--,accident the
ftolen goods were loft, with fuch other valuables as they had: collected
during the day.; ) and the party, confifting of two women,and. a-man, were
made prifoners, and with their canoe, brought on board. ■ The three
delinquents were ordered into irons ; but they had not been long fo cir-
cumftanced, • before I received a very!.humble', petition from the two
ladies, who on promifing they: would not again be Found fo offending
were liberated. The man r em a in e d 'in ’Confinement until the next morn- Saturday 19.
ing, when I underftood that fome fimilar a£ts had been committed on
board