V
/ 1
I , i' :l I
r ! i
; : i
I!! i 11 i
124 APPBNDIX.
No. 14.
E X T B A C T from Byron's Naxratlve of the Loss of the Wager.
" These people* were of a smaU stature, very swarthy, havmg long,
black, coarse hair, hanging over „their faces. It was evident, from
their great surprise, and every part of their behawur, as well as
their not having one thing in their possession which could be derived
fi-om white people, that they had never seen such. Their clothing was
nothing but a bit of some beast's skin about their waists, and something
woven from feathers over the shoulders ; and as they uttered
no word of any language we had ever heard, nor had any method of
maldng themselves understood, we presumed they could have had no
intercourse with Europeans. These savages, who, upon their departure,
left us a few muscles, returned in two days, and surprised
us by bringing three sheep." . . . . " At this interview we
bartered with them for a dog or two, which we roasted and eat.
" In one of my walks, seeing a very large bird of prey upon an
eminence, I endeavoured to come upon it unperceived with my gun,
by means of the woods which lay at the back of that eminence ; but,
when I had proceeded so far in the wood as to think I was m a hne
with it I heard a growhng close by me, which made me think it
advisable to retire as soon as possible : the woods were so gloomy I
could see nothing; but, as I retired, this noise followed me close tdl
I had got out of them. Some of our men did assure me, that they
had seen a very large beast in the woods; but their description of it
was too imperfect to be rehed upon."t
The first night we put into a good harbour, a few leagues to the
southward of Wager Island; where, finding a large bitch big with
puppies, we regaled upon them. In this expedition we had our
usual bad weather and breaking seas, which were grown to such a
height the third day, that we were obUged, through distress, to push
in at the first inlet we saw at hand, l-his we had no sooner entered
than we were presented mth a view of a fine bay, in which, havmg
secured the barge, we went ashore, but the weather being very rainy,
and finding nothing to subsist upon, we pitched a beU tent, which
we had brought with us, in the wood opposite to where the barge
lay. As this tent was not large enough to contain us aU. I proposed
• Nat ives of the Guaianeco I s lands .
+ Showing that the puma crosses arms of the s e a—R . F .
APPENDIX. 125
to four of the people to go to the end of the bay, about two miles
distant from the beU tent, to occupy the skeleton of an old Indian
wigwam, which I had discovered in a walk that way upon our first
landing. This we covered to windward with sea-weed; and, lighting
a fire, laid ourselves down in hopes of findmg a remedy for our
hunger in sleep; but we had not long composed oiffselves before one
of our company was disturbed by the blowing of some animal at his
face; and, upon opening his eyes, was not a little astonished to see
by the glimmering of the fire, a large beast standing over him. He
had presence of mind enough to snatch a brand from the fire, which
was now very low, and thrust it at the nose of the animal, who
thereupon made off." . . . . " In the morning, we were not
a httle anxious to know how our companions had fared; and this
anxiety was increased upon our tracing the footsteps of the beast in
the sand, in a direction towards the beU tent. The impression was
deep and plain, of a large round foot well furnished with claws.
Upon acquainting the people ui the tent mth the circumstances of
our story, we found that they too had been visited by the same unwelcome
guest, which they had driven away by much the same expedient.
We now returned from this cruise, -ndth a strong gale, to
Wager's Island; here we soon discovered, by the quarters of dogs
hanging up, that the Indians had brought a fresh supply to our
market. Upon inquiry, we found that there had been six canoes of
them, who, among other methods of taking fish, had taught their dogs
to drive the fish into a comer of some pond, or lake, from whence they
were easily taken out by the skill and address of these savages."
" Upon returning up the Lagoon,* we were so fortunate as to kill
some seal, which we boiled and laid in the boat for sea-stock. While
we were ranging along-shore in detached parties, in quest of this
and whatever other eatable might come in our way, our surgeon,
who was then by himself, discovered a pretty large hole, which
seemed to lead to some den, or repository, within the rocks. It was
not so rude, or natural, but that there were some signs of its having
been cleared and made more accessible by industry. The surgeon
for some time hesitated whether he should venture in, from his uncertamty
as to the reception he might meet with from any inhabitant
; but his curiosity getting the better of his fears, he determined
to go in; which he did upon his hands and knees, as the
• Hollcway Sound—near Port Otway.