57 °
tender plants. Upon examination they found their teeth loofe; and that many ofthem had every other fymptom of an inveterate fea fcurvy. Out of four ewes and tworams, which Captain Cook brought from the Cape, with an intent to pur afhore in thiscountry, he had only been able to preferve one of each; and even thefe were in fobad a ftate, that it was doubtful if they could recover, notwithftanding all the care pof-fible had been taken of them.
On the 28th, a canoe appeared, and came within mufquet fhot of the (hip. Therewere in it feven or eight people. They remained looking at the fhip for fome time,and then returned; figns of friendfhip did not prevail on them to come nearer.After dinner the captain took two boats and went in fearch of them. They found acanoe hauled upon the fhore near to two fmall huts, where were feveral fire-places,fome filhing-nets, a few filh lying on the fhore. and fome in the canoe, but faw nopeople ; they probably had retired into the woods. After a fhort flay, and leaving inthe canoe fome medals, looking-glalfes, beads, &c. they embarked and rowed to thehead of the cove, where they found nothing remarkable. In returning back they putafhore at the fame place as before ; but ftill faw no people.
On the 6th, the captain difcovered a fine capacious cove, in the bottom of which isa frefh water river; on the weft fide feveral beautiful fmall cafcades; and the fhoresare fo fteep that a fhip might lie near enough to convey the water into her by a hofe.In this cove they fhot fourteen ducks, befides other birds, which occafioned its beingcalled Duck Cove.
As they returned in the evening, they had a fhort interview with three of the natives,one man and two women. They were the firft that difcovered themfelves on thenorth-eaft point of Indian Ifland, named fo on this occafion: the man hallooed tothem. He flood with his club in his hand upon the point of a rock, and behind him,at the fkirts of the wood, flood the two women, with each of them a fpear. Theman could not help difcovering great figns of fear when they approached the rockwith the boat. He however flood firm ; nor did he move to take up fome thingsthat were thrown to him. At length they landed, went up and embraced him; andprefented him with fuch articles as they had, which at once diffipated his fears. P re 'fently after they were joined by the two women, and fome of the feamen. After this,they fpent about half an hour in chit-chat, little underftood on either fide, in whichthe youngeft of the two ’women bore by far the greateft fhare. This occafioned oneof the feamen to fay, that women did not want tongue in any part of the world. Nightapproaching, obliged them to take leave of them; when the youngeft of the twowomen, whofe volubility of tongue exceeded every thing they ever met with, g avethem a dance; but the man viewed them with great attention. ,
Next morning they made the natives another vifit accompanied by Mr. Forfter anMr. Hodges, carrying with them various articles, which were prefented to them,and which were received with a great deal of indifference, except .hatchets and fpu ce 'nails; thefe they moft efteemed. This interview was at the fame place as laft mgn ,and now they faw the whole family.- It confifted of the man, his two wives (asfuppofed), the young woman before mentioned, a boy about fourteen years o ,and three fmall children, the youngeft of which was at the breaft. They were awell-looking, except one woman, who had a large wen on her upper lip, which maher difagreeable; and the feemed, on that account, to be in a great meafure negby the man. They conducted them to their habitation, which was but a little wa^within the fkirts of the wood, and confifted of two mean huts made of the bare ^trees, Their canoe, which was a fmall double one, juft large enough to tran
4