534
captain cook’s first voyage.
honed in their dealing, there was one amongft them who took a fancy to a half-minuteglafs, but was detedted in fecreting it, and he was punifhed with the cat-o’-nine tails.The other Indians endeavoured to fave him from this punifliment; but being oppofed,they got their arms from the canoes, and fome of the people in them attempted to geton board. Mr. Banks and Tupia now coming upon deck, the Indians applied to Tupia,but he having no influence upon Mr. Hicks, the commanding officer, informed themof the nature of the offender’s intended punifliment, which pacified them, as they ima-gined he was going to be put to death. The criminal not only received twelve lafhes,but afterwards a drubbing from an old man, who was thought to be his father.
On the 23d they tided it down the river, and on the 24th they fteered along thefliore, between the iflands and the main, and in the evening anchored in an open bay,in about fourteen fathoms water. Here they caught a large number of filh of thefcienne, or bream kind ; from which the captain named this Bream Bay, and the ex-treme points of it Bream Head. There are numbers of rocks off this bay, which werecalled the Hen and Chickens. No inhabitants were vifible; but from the fires per-ceived at night, the gentlemen concluded it was inhabited.
Sunday the 26th, Captain Cook continued his courfe flowly along the fliore to thenorth. This day two canoes came up, and fome of the Indians came on board, whenthey trafficked very fairly. Two larger canoes foon after followed them, and comingup to the fliip, the people in them hailed the others, when they conferred together,and afterwards came along fide of the fliip. The laft two canoes were finely ornamentedwith carving, and the people, who appeared to be of higher rank, were armed withvarious weapons ; they held in high eftimation their patoo-patoos, which were madeof ftone and whalebone, and they had ribs of whale with ornaments of dog’s hair,which were very curious.—Thefe Indians feemed the fuperiors of the others, theywere neverthelefs not free from the vice of pilfering, for one of them having agreedto barter a weapon for a piece of cloth, he was no fooner in poffeffion of the cloth thanhe paddled away without paying the price of it; but a mufquet being fired, he catn eback and returned the cloth. All the canoes then returned afhore.
The Endeavour paffed a remarkable point of land, which the captain called Cap®Bret, in honour of the Baronet of that name ; this cape is much higher than anythe adjacent land. Within a mile to the north-eaft-by-north is a curious rocky ifland;it is arched, and has a pleafing effect at a diftance. The natives call this Cape Mb'tugogogo : it forms a bay to the weft, which contains many fmall iflands, and CaptainCook named the point at the north-weft entrance Point Pococke. The inhabitantshad the fame itch for cheating as the others. One of the midfliipmen was fo nettled a^being impofed upon, that he had recourfe to a whimfical expedient by way of revenge,taking a fifhing line, he threw the lead with fo much dexterity, that the hook caug"_the Indian who had impofed upon him by the buttock, when the line breaking, 1 _hook remained in his pofteriors. Thefe Indians were ftrong and well-proportione »their hair was black, and tied up in a bunch, ftuck with feathers; the chiefs aino^Sthem had garments made of fine cloth, ornamented with dog’s {kin ; and they wealfo tataowed. ,. ^
On the 27th, the Endeavour was among a number of fmall iflands, from w 1feveral canoes came off; but the Indians, from their frantic geftures, feemed ’ °dered in their minds; they threw their fifli into the {hip by handfuls, without deman 1 &any thing by way of barter. Some other canoes alfo came up, and faluted thewith ftones. One of the Indians who was particularly aftive, threw a ftick at one ^the Endeavour’s men. It was then judged time to bring them to reafon, ^n^