April'. obliged me to retire out of the river, to the place where we
> had fpent the night. There we breakfafted, and afterwards
embarked, in order to return on board; but, juft as we were
going, we faw two men, on the oppofite £hore, hallooing
to us, which induced me to row over to them. I landed,
with two others, unarmed; the two natives ftanding about
too yards from the water fide, with each a fpear in hi-s
hand. When we three advanced, they retired; but flood
when I advanced alone.
It was fome little time before I could prevail upon them
to lay down their fpears. This, at laft, one of them did;
and met me with a grafs plant in his hand, one end of
which he gave me to hold, while he held the other.
Standing in this manner, he began a fpeech, not one, word
of which I underftood ; and made fome long paufes ; waiting,
as I thought, for me to anfwer; for, when I fpoke, he
proceeded. As foon as this ceremony was over, which was
not long, we faluted each other. He then took his Hahou,
or coat, from off his own back, and put it upon mine ; after
which peace feemed firmly eftablifhed. More people joining
us did not in the leaft alarm them; on the contrary
they faluted every one as he came up.
I gave to each a hatchet and a knife, having nothing elfe
with me: perhaps thefe were the moft valuable things I
could give them ; at leaft they were the moft ufeful. They
wanted us to go to their habitation, telling us they would
give us fomething to eat; and I was forry that the tide, and
other circumftances, would not permit me to accept of their
invitation. More people were feen in the lkirts of the
wood, but none of them joined u s ; probably thefe were
their wives and children. When we took leave they followed
lowed us to our boat, and feeing the mufquets lying acrofs
the ftern, they made figns for them to be taken away; which
being done, they came along-fide and aflifted us to launch
her. At this,time, it was neceffary for us to look well after
them, for they wanted to take away every thing they could
lay their hands upon, except the mufquets. Thefe they took
care not -to touch, being-taught by the daughter they had
feen us make among the wild fowl, to look upon them as
inftruments of death.
T uefday 20.
We faw no canoes or other boats, with them; two or three
logs of wood tied together ferved the fame purpofe; and
were indeed fufficient for the navigation of the river, on
the banks of which they lived. There fifh and fowl were
in fuch plenty, that they had no occafion to go far for food;
and they have but few neighbours to difturb them. The
whole number at this place, I believe, does not exceed three
families.
It was noon' when we took leave of thefe two men, and
proceeded down the North fide of the bay; which I explored
in my way, and the ifles that lie in the middle.
Night, however, overtook us, and obliged me to leave one
arm unlooked into, and haften to the fhip, which we reached
by eight o’clock. I then learnt that the man and his
daughter flayed on board the day before till noon; and
that, having underftood from our people what things were
left in Cafcade Cove, the place where they were firft feen,
he fent and took them away. He and his family remained
near us till to-day, when they all went away, and we faw
them no more ; which was the more extraordinary, as he
never left us empty-handed. From one or another he did not
get lefs than nine or ten hatchets, three or four times that
3 .number