December. between ft anci the eaft head, lay a cove in which were
fn~77—' many geefe; one only of .which he got, befides fome young
goflings.
Saturday 24. This information of Mr. Pickerfgill’s induced me to make
up two fhooting parties next day; Mr. Pickerfgill and his
affociates going in the cutter, and myfelf and the botanifts
in the pinnace.. Mr. Pickerfgill went by the N. E. fide of
the large illand above mentioned, which obtained the name
of Goofe Illand ; and I went by the S. W. fide. As foon as
we got under the illand, we found plenty of fhags in the
cliffs, but, without flaying to fpend our time and fhot upon
thefe, we proceeded on, and prefently found fport enough.
For, in the fouth fide of the illand, were abundance of
geefe. It happened to be the moulting feafon; and moll
of them were On fhore for that purpofe, and could not fly.
There being a great furf, we found great difficulty in
landing, and very bad climbing over the rocks when we
were landed; fo that hundreds of the geefe. efcaped us,
fome into the fea, and others up into the illand. We, however,
by one means or other, got fixty-two, with which we
returned on board all heartily tired; but the acquifition
we had made overbalanced every other confideration, and
we fat down with a good appetite to fupper on. part of
what the preceding day hlid produced. Mr. Pickerfgill and
his aflociates had got on board fome time before us with
fourteen geefe; fo that I was .able to make, diftribution to
the whole crew, which was the more acceptable on account
of the approaching feftival. Fori had not Providence thus
Angularly provided for us, our Chriftmas cheer muft have
been fait beef and pork.
I now learnt that a number of the natives in nine canoes, >774-
had been along-fide the fhip; and fome on board. Little >____>
addrefs was’ required.to perfuade them to either ; for they'8“ “^ H'
feemed to be well enough acquainted with Europeans, and
had, amongft them, fome of their knives.
The next morning, the 25th, they-made us another vifit. Sunday
I found them to be of the fame nation I had formerly feen in
Succefs-Bay; and the: fame which M. de Bougainville diflin-
guiflies by the .name of Pecharas; a word which thefe had,
on every occafion, in their mouths. They are a little, ugly,
half-ftarved, beardlefs race, I faw not a tall perfon amongft
them. They were almoft naked; their clothing was a
leal-fkin; fome had two or three fewed together, fo as to
make a cloak which reached to the knees ;• but the moft of
them had only one Ikin, hardly large enough to cover their
Ihonlders and all their lower parts were quite naked. The
women, I was told, cover their nalcednefs with the flap of a
feal-flrin, but in other refpefls are clothed like the men.
They, as well as the children, remained in the canoes. I faw
two young children at-the breaft entirely naked; thus they
are inured from their infancy to cold and hardlhips. They-
had-with them bows and arrows, and darts, or rather harpoons,
made of bone, ,and fitted to a ftaff. I fuppofe they
were intended m kill feals and fifti; they may alfo kill |
whales with them, as the Efquimaux do. I know not if they
referable them in their love of train-oil; but they, and every
thing they had, fmelt moft intolerably of it. I ordered them
fome bifcuit, but did not obferve them fo fond of it as I had
been told. They were much better pleafed when I gave
them fome medals, knives, See.
The