it was not poffible to fix his attention to any one thing a
fingle moment. The works of art appeared to him in the
fame light as thofe of nature, and were as far removed
beyond his comprehenfion. What feemed to ftrike them
molt was the number and ftrength of our decks, and other
parts of the fhip. The chief, before he came aboard, pre-
fented me with a piece of cloth and a green talk hatchet;
to Mr. I-’orfler he alfo gave a piece of cloth; and the girl
gave another to Mr. Hodges. This cuftom of making pre-
fents, before they receive any, is common with the natives,
of the South Sea ifles ; but I never faw it pradtifed in New
Zealand before. Of all the various articles I gave my gueft,
hatchets and fpike-nails were the moll valuable in his eyes.
Thefe he never would fuffer to go out of his hands after he
had once laid hold of them; whereas many other articles he
would lay carelefsly down any where, and at laft leave them-
behind him.
As foon as I could-get quit of them, they were conducted
into the gun-room, where I left them, and fet out with two’
boats to examine the headof the bay; myfelf in one,- accompanied
by Mr. Forfter and Mr. Hodges ; and Lieutenant
Cooper in the other. We proceeded up the South fide ; and
without meeting with any thing remarkable, got to the
head of the bay by fun-fer; where we took up our lodging
for the night, at the firft place we could land upon;: for
the. flats hindered us from getting quite to the head.
At day-light in the morning, I took two men in the fmall
boat, and, with Mr. Eorlter, went to take a view of the
flat land at the head, of the bay, near to where we fpent
the night. We landed on one fide, and ordered the boat
to meet us on the other fide; but had not been long on
9 fhore
fhore before we faw fome ducks, which, by their creeping r77j-
through the bullies, we got a fhot at, and killed one. The mo- c— —-—j
ment we had fired, the natives, whom we had not difeovered zo'
before, fet up a molt hideous noife in two or three places
clofe by us. We hallooed in our turn ; and, at the fame
time, retired to our boat, which was full half a mile off-.
The natives kept up their clamouring noife, but did not
follow us. Indeed we found, afterwards, that they could
not; becaufeof a branch of the river between us and them*
nor did we find their numbers anfwerable to the noife they
made. As foon as we got to our boat, and found that
there was a river that would admit us, I rowed in, and was
foon after joined by Mr. Cooper, in the other boat. With
this reinforcement I proceeded up the river, fhooting wild
ducks, of which there were great numbers ; as we went
along, now and then, hearing the natives in the woods. At
length two appeared on the banks of the river, a man and
a woman; and the latter kept waving fomething white in
her hand, as a fign of friendfhip. Mr. Cooper being near
them, I called to him to land, as I Wanted to take the advantage
of the tide to get as high up as poffible, which did
not much exceed half a mile, when I was flopped by the
ftrength of the ftream and great ftones which lay in the bed
of the river.
On my return, I found that, as Mr. Cooper did not land
when the natives expedted him, they had retired into the
woods ; but two others now appeared on the oppofite bank.
I endeavoured to have an interview with them; but this I
could not effect. For, as I approached the fhore, they always
retired farther into the woods, which were fo thick
as to cover them from our fight. The falling tide
M 2 obliged