1787. A number of circumftances had occurred, fince our firft trade in
. . Cloak Bay, which convinced us, that the natives at this place were
-of a more favage difpofition, and had lefs intercourfe with each
other, than any Indians we had met with on the coalf, and we began
to fufpeft that they were cannibals in- fomer'degree. Captain
Dixon no fooher faw the fortified hut juft mentioned, than this
fufpicion was ftrengtfiened, as it was, hefaid, built exafilly on the
•plan of the hippah -of the favages at New Zealand. The people,
-on coming along-fide, traded very quietly, and ftrongly importuned
us by figns, to come on fhore; at the fame time giving us to un-
-derftand (pointing towards the Eaft) that if we vifited that part of
the coaft, the inhabitants there would cut off our heads. This was
an unqueftionable proof, that they were at variance with their
neighbours, and their hoftile appearance fufficiently confirmed it,
being well armed with knives and fpears.
I am not fond of hazarding conjeBures, yet I cannot help remarking,
that though the behaviour of thefe people was harmlefs and
inoffenfive, yet their attempt to perfuade us to go on fhore, is an
additional proof in favour of our fufpicion ; they certainly wanted
to decoy us to the hippah, and there, no doubt, we fhould have
been inftantly butchered,
We purchafed a number of excellent cloaks, and fome good fkins
from thefe Indians, for which we gave a variety of articles, fome
chiifing toes, and others pewter bafons, tin kettles, knives, &c.
This tribe appeared the leaft we had yet feen ; I could not reckon
more than thirty-four or thirty-fix people in the whole party; but
then it fhould be confidered, that thefe were probably chofen men,
who perhaps expedited to meet with their enemies, as they were
equally prepared for war or trade,
Having
Having purchafed every thing thefe favages had to difpofe of,
and no more canoes coming near us, at eight o clock we made fail.
The extremes of the land in fight bore from Eaft South Eaft to
North Weft by North ; diftance from fhore about feven miles. .
During the night we flood off and on, with the wind at North
Weft, and in the morning of the 8th, we flood in for the land; at
eight o’clock, feeing fome canoes coming from fhore, we lay to, in
order to trade with them. On their coming along-fide, we found
them to be our friends from Hippah Ifland; but what furs they
now brought were of an inferior kind, they having fold us their
prime fkins the preceding afternoon. By ten o’clock, the Indians
being entirely ftripped, left us ; on which we made fail. Our ob-
fervation at noon gave 53 deg. 2 min. North latitude. Hippah
Ifland bore North 28 deg. Weft; a little ifland North 11 deg.
Weft, and the Southermoft land in fight South-68 deg. Eaft ; the
neareft fhore about three leagues diftant.
During the afternoon we kept clofe in with the land, tacking
occafionally, but no canoes came near us. At eight o’clock, Hippah
Ifland bore North Weft, and the Southermoft land-in fight
South 73 deg. Eaft; our diftance from fhore about four leagues.
During the night we flood off and on ; our chief care being to
keep fo near the land, that we could be well in with it foon after
day-light, and by-that means, have an opportunity of infpechng
every mile of the coaft.
In the forenoon of the 9th, we had five canoes along-fide, containing
about thirty-eight or forty people, from whom we purchafed
fome very good cloaks, and a few good fkins; they too wae
fond