and on our Handing out to fea, had fallowed us, but loft light of
the Ihip during the night.
Soon after fix o’clock, the breeze dying away, our whale-boat
came on board, the yawl was hoifted out, and both boats fent
a-head, in order to tow theveflel into the bay. During this time,
we bought a few furs of trifling value, from our new acquaintance
; and they gave us to underftand, that we lhould find a
number of inhabitants, and plenty of furs, in the adjacent harbour.
This piece of intelligence, though not abfolutely to be depended
on, elated us not a little. What we had taken for a white
flag, on our firft feeing the canoe, was a tuft of white feathers
which they had hoifted at the top of a long pole, and which I underftand
to be an emblem of peace and friendlhip. At ten o’clock
we faw a bay to the Northward, which appeared to be well fhel-
tered from the wind; and a breeze fpringing up, we flood right in
for it. Mr. Turner was fent in the whale-boat up the found, to
look for a harbour; and Mr. White, our Third Mate, was fent in
the yawl, into the bay a-head, in order to examine the foundings.
Soon after eleven o’clock Mr. White returned, and reported, that
the bay appeared to be an excellent place for the veflel to lay in,
there being good anchorage from eight to twelve fathom water,
over a fandy bottom.
After making a few fhort boards, we came to anchor at twelve
o’clock, in eight fathom water, over a fandy bottom; the extremes
of the land forming the bay to the Northward, bore from South 3
deg. Weft to North 3 deg. Eaft 3 the point of land to the South
Eaft, South Eaft by South 3 about three quarters of a mile diftant
froth ftxore. The harbour to the Southward, and South Eaft by
Eaft, is well fheltered by great quantities of rock-weed.
About
About four in the afternoon, Mr. Turner returned from his
furvey in the whale-boat: he had found feveral harbours well fheltered
from any wind, but the bottom in 'general rocky 5 fo that
Captain Dixon determined to keep his prefent fituation, as it appeared
well fheltered from bad weather, and convenient for the inhabitants
to vifit us.
Whilft Mr. Turner was out in the whale-boat, he faw a large
cave, formed by nature in the fide of a mountain, about four miles,
to the Northward of our anchoring birth : curiofity prompted him
to go on fhore, in order to examine it, as there appeared fomething
which, at a diftance, looked bright and fparkling. On getting
into the cave, he found the object which attracted his attention to
be a fquare box, with a human head in it, depofited in the manner
already defcribed at Port Mulgrave 3 the box was very beautifully
ornamented with fmall fhells, and feemed to have been left there
very recently, being the only one in the place. This circumftance
feems to fhew, that the natives of this place difpofe of their dead in
the fame manner as at Port Mulgrave, but probably make choice of.
caves for that purpofe, in preference to the open air.
At day-light in the morning of the 13th, we had a number of
canoes full of inhabitants along-fide; after a confiderable time
fpent in finging, a pretty brifk trade commenced, and we bought
a number of excellent otter fkins 3 the people feemed far mote
lively and alert than thofe we had left at Port Mulgrave 5 and from
every appearance, we had reafon to expert an excellent trade at
this place.
From this to the 16th, our trade went brifkly forward, but afterwards
it began to decline, and feveral of the Indians left us, in
order to bring a further fupply of fkins from their neighbours.
Toes