490 DAMPIER’s ACCOUNT OF NEW HOLLAND.

noon I fent my boat afhore to the natives who flood upon the point by the river’smouth with a prefent of cocoa-nuts ; when the boat was come near the fhore, theycame running into the water, and put their nuts into the boat. Then I made a fignalfor the boat to come aboard, and fent both it and the yawl into the river to look forfrefh water, ordering the pinnace to lie near the river’s mouth, while the yawl wentup to fearch. In an hour’s time they returned aboard with fome barrecoes full offrefh water, which they had taken up about half a mile up the river. After which Ifent them again with cafks, ordering one of them to fill water, and the other to watchthe motions of the natives, left they fhould make any oppofition; but they did not, andfo the boats returned a little before fun-fet with a tun and half of water ; and the nextday by noon brought aboard about fix tuns of water.

I fent afhore commodities to purchafe hogs, &c. being informed that the natives haveplenty of them, as alfo of yams and other good roots ; but my men returned withoutgetting any thing that I fent them for ; the natives being unwilling to trade with us ;yet they admired -our hatchets and axes, but would part with nothing but cocoa-nuts,which they ufed to climb the trees for; and fo foon as they gave them our men, theybeckoned to them to be gone, for they were much afraid of us.

The 18 th, I fent both boats again for water, and before noon they had filled all mycafks. In the afternoon I fent them both to cut wood ; but feeing about forty nativesHanding on the bay at a fmall diftance from our men, I made a fignal for them tocome aboard again, which they did, and brought me word that the men which we fawon the bay were paffing that way, but were afraid to come nigh them. At four o’clockI fent both the boats again for more wood, and they returned in the evening. Then Icalled my officers to confult whether it were convenient to ftay here longer, andendeavour a better acquaintance with thefe people, or go to fea. My defign of tarryinghere longer, was, if poffible, to get fome hogs, goats, yams, or other roots •, as alfo toget fome knowledge of the country and its produdl. My officers unanimoufly gavetheir opinions for flaying longer here. So the next day I fent both boats afhore again,,to fifh and to cut more wood. While they were afhore, about thirty or forty men andwomen paffed by them ; they were a little afraid of our people at firft, but upon theirmaking figns of friendfhip, they paffed by quietly ; the men finely bedecked withfeathers of divers colours about their heads, and lances in their hands ; the women hadno ornament about them, nor any thing to cover their nakednefs, but a bunch of fmallgreen boughs before and'behind, ftuck under a firing which came round their waifts..They carried large bafkets on their heads, full of yams. And this 1 have obfervedamongft all the wild natives I have known, that they make their women carry theburdens, while the men walk before, without any other load than their arms and orna-ments. At noon our men came aboard with the wood they had cut, and had catched:but fix fifhes at four or five hauls of the fain, though we faw abundance of fifh leaping,in the bay all the day long.

In the afternoon I fent the boats afhore for more wood ; and fome of our men wentto the natives’ houfes, and found they were now more flay than they ufed to be; hadtaken down all the cocoa-nuts from the trees, and driven away their hogs. Ourpeople made figns to them to know what was become of their hogs, &c. The nativespointing to fome houfes in the bottom of the bay, and imitating the noife of thofecreatures, feemed to intimate that there were both hogs and goats of feveral fizes,which they exprefied by holding their hands abroad at feveral diftances from theground.

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