1778. with an officer, to get wood from the place where I , had
landed two days before. We continued, for a while, to
iland on'and o ff with the ihip s; but, at length, came to an
anchor in one-fourth lefs than five fathoms, h a lf a lea gu e
from the coaft, the South point o f w h ich bore South s6*
We ft; and Bald Head, North 60° Eaft, n in e leagues diftant.
Cape Denbigh bore South 72* Eaft, twenty-fix miles diftant ;
and the ifland under the Eaft ihore, to the Southward o f Cape
Denbigh, named JBeJborough Ijland, South 52° Eaft, fifteen
leagues diftant.
As this was a very open road, and confequently not a fafe
ftation, I refolved not to wait to complete water, as that
wou ld require fome time ; but only to fupply the ihips with
wood, and then to go in fearch o f a more convenient place
fo r the other article. We took o ff the drift-wood that
la y upon the b e a ch ; and as the wind b lew along Ihore, the
boats could fail both ways, w hich enabled us to make great
difpatch.
In the afternoon, I went aihore, and walked a little into
the co u n try ; which, where there was no wood, was covered
w ith heath and other plants, fome o f which produce berries
in abundance. A ll the berries were ripe ; the hurtle-berries
too much f o ; and hardly a fingle plant was in flower. T he
underwood, fuch as birch, willows, and alders, rendered it
very troublefome w a lk in g amongft the trees, which were all
fpruce, and none o f them above fix or e igh t inches in diameter.
But we found fome ly in g upon the beach, more
than twice this fize. A ll the drift-wood in thefe Northern
parts was fir. I faw not a ftick o f any other fort.
Sunday.13. Next day, a family o f the natives came near to the place
where w e were tak ing o ff wood. I kn ow not how many
there
there were at firft; but I faw only the hufband, the wife, and
the ir ch ild ; and a fourth perfon. who bore the human ihape,
and that, was a l l ; fo r he was the moft deformed cripple I had
ever feen or heard of. The other man was almoft b lin d ;
and neither he, nor his w ife , were fuch good-looking people
as w e had fometimes feen amongft the natives o f this coaft.
T he under-lips o f both were b o red ; and they had in their
poffeffion fome fuch glafs beads as I had met with before
amongft their neighbours. But iron was their beloved article.
For four knives, which we had made out o f an old
iron hoop, I got from them near four hundred pounds
w e igh t o f filh, w h ich they had caught on this or the preceding
day. Some were trout, and the reft were, in fize
and tafte, fomewhat between a mullet and a herring. I gave
the child, who was a gir l, a few b e ad s ; on which the
mother burft into tears, then the father, then the cripple,
and, at laft, to complete the concert, the g ir l herfelf. But
this mufic continued not lon g * . Before night, we had got
the
, * Captain K ing has communicated the following account o f his interview with the
fame family. “ O n the 12th, while I attended the wooding party, a canoe full o f
natives approached u s ; and, beckoning them to land, an elderly man and woman
came on Ihore. I gave the woman a fmall knife, making her underftand, that I
would give her a much larger one for fome fifh. She made figns to me to follow her.
I had proceeded with them about a mile, when the man, in crofling a Sony beach
fell down, and cut his foot very much. This, made me flop,; upon which the woman
pointed to the man Y e y e s ,' which, I obferved, were covered with a thick, white
film. He afterward keptclofe to his wife, who apprized him o f the obftacles in his
way. T h e woman had a little child on her back, covered with the hood o f her
ja c k e t : and which I took for a bundle, till I heard it cry. A t about two miles dif-
.tance we came to their open ikin boat,' which was turned on its fide, the convex part
toward the wind, and ferved for their houfe. I was now made to perform a finvular
operation o n the man’s eyes, Firft, I was direited to hold my breath ; afterward "to
breathe on the difeafed eyes ; and next, to (pit on them. The-woman then took both
my hands, and preffing them to his ftomach, held them there for fome time, while ihe
related fome calamitous hiftory o f her fam ily ; pointing .fometimes to her hufband
Y 0 1 ’ | | f 3 Q . > f fometimes