I
T O T .11 E S O U T H S E A S.
the canoe. This event alarmed the reft, and they made off as faft as they could,
and we faw no more of .them.
The wind, having been againft us fpr feveral days, and as we could get no farther
with our heavy ihip, on the 29th, in the morning,- having weathered a long
point of land, which we named Cape Brett, we bore away to leeward j got into a
very large harbojir, where we .were .land-locked, and had feveral pretty coves on
every fide of us. We pafled a fmall ifland which we named Piercy liland, and
fopn after caft anchor. Many canoes came off to us; and the people in them,
accprding to cuftom, behaved fomewhat unruly: while I faluted one of them, in
their manner, he picked my. pocket. Some of our people fired upon them, but
they did not feem to regard it much. One of our boats went on ihore, and then
they fet off all at once, and attempted to feize her, in which, however, they failed j
but foon after Mr. Banks-got-on ihore, he had like to have been apprehended by
ope of the natives, but happily efcaped. The marines fired upon them j five great
guns were-fired rftom the ihip, and Otegoowgoow, [fee pi. XXI.] fon to one of
their chiefs, was wounded in the thigh. The natives, affrighted, fled precipitately
to a Hippa, where our people followed them ; and,. at length, they became very
fubmiflive. Had thefe barbarians a£ted more in concert, they would have been a.
formidable enemy, and might have done us much mifchief ; but they had no kind
of order or military difcipline among them. They gave us fome large mackafel,
which ate v,ery delicioufly, and that was almoft the only article they would part
with.
On the 5th of December, we weighed anchor, but were becalmed at the en<-
trance of the bay, which we called the Bay of Iilands, from the many iilands in
it. However, as it frequently happens in life, a leffer evil fecured us from a
greater; being detained here, we efcaped a fevere gale at fea, that might have
proved very dangerous to us, as the wind blew a perfect hurricane, one day, accompanied
with heavy ihowers of rain.
The natives (being more fenfible of our power) behaved very civil, and brought
us a great many fifh; and while we lay here, we caught fome ourfelves with hook
and line.
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