tended town, to dig faWpits, and to perform every thing
that was effenti^ towards the works purpofpd to be parried
on. Although the fpot fixed on for the town was the moft
eligible that could be ch.oferi, yet I thinly it would never
have anfwered ; ther ground around it being. fandy, poor,
and fwampy, and but very indifferently fuppliéd' with water.
The fine meadows talked o f ] in, Captain Cook’s. tpydgPj. f
could never fee, though I töok fome pains tp findfthem; out;
nor have I ever heard of a pqrfon that has . feeh '.any parts
refembling them. While the' people were; employed on
fhore, the natives pamp fjbvdral times among them, and
behaved with a kind of cautious friendfhip. OneH||0ing^
while the feine' was hauling, fomo of them were prefent,
and pxpreffed great furprife at what they faw i giving a
fhout expreffive qfaftonifhment and joy, when they per-'. /
ceived the quantity that was .caught,*; No fooner WPtO
the fifh; out' of the water, than they; began to -Jay hold
of them, as if they had a right, to them» or that they; were,
their own; upon which the: officer: o f the boat, I think
very properly, reftrained them; giving, however, to each
pf them a part. They did not at ,firft feem very well
pleafed with this mode of procedure, but on obferving
■ with
with what; j'ufHee; the? fifh. was diflributed, they appeared 1
'•aLatk.*,* . t i - , Wmim. Ja
While! we remained at Botany.: Bay,-- as I was one
morning on; board the1 Supply* we faw twenty-nine of
the. natives.'mn the beach, looking towards the fbipping }
upon which Lieutenants Ball and King, Mr. Dawes, and my-
felf, went onrfhpre; landing[at the place .where they were.
They were friendly andjpacific,thoughi'eaeh;of them was arm^
ed v^ith. d ff*ean dr; long dart, and had a flick, with a fhell
atj the ‘end, .ufed by them in throwing their weapons.
Befides thefe^ .fome few had fhields made of the bark of the
pork tree, of a plain appearance, but fufficicnt to ward off
or turn their own weapons, fome of which were -pointed
and barbed with the bones of .fifh, fattened on with fome
kind of adhefive. gum. One. of the moil friendly, and who
appeared to :be the moft confident, on figns being made to
him, fluck the end.of his. fhield in thp - fand, but could not
be'prevailed upon, tq throw his fpear at it. Finding he
declined it, I fired a piftol ball through it. The explofioi*
frightened him, as well as his companions, a little; but
they foon got over- it, and on my putting the piftol into my
pocket, he took up the fhield, and appeared to be much
i furprifed