621
As they paffed Hinchinbrook Ifle, feveral people came down to the fea-fide, and byfigns feemed to invite them afhore. Some were alfo feen on Sandwich Ifland, whichexhibited a mod delightful profpeft, being fpotted with woods and lawns, agreeablydiverfified over the whole furface. It hath a gentle Hope from the hills, which are ofa moderate height, down to the fea-coaft. This is low, and guarded by a chain ofbreakers, fo that there is no approaching it at this part.
On the 3d of Auguft, they found themfelves abreaft a lofty promontory; and onthe 4th, at day-break, the captain went with two boats to examine the coaft, to lookfor a proper landing-place, wood and water. At this time the natives began toaffemble on the fhore, and by figns invited them to land. The captain went firft toa fmall beach, which is towards the head, where he found no good landing. Some ofthe natives who were there, offered to haul the boats over the breakers to the fandybeach, which was thought a friendly offer, but they had reafon afterwards to altertheir opinion. When they found they would not do as they defired, they made fignsfor them to go down into a bay, which they accordingly did, and they ran alongIhore abreaft of them, their number increafingly prodigioully. They put in to theIhore in two or three places, but not liking the fituation, did not land. By this, timethe natives conceived what they wanted, as they direfted the boat round a rocky point,where, on a fine fandy beach, the captain ftepped out of the boat without wetting afoot, in the face of a vaft multitude, with only a green branch in his hand. He tookbut one man out of the boat with him, and ordered the other boat to lie-to a littlediftance off. They received him with great courtefy and politenefs; and would retireback from the boat on his making the leaft motion with his hand. A man, whom hetook to be a chief, feeing this, made them form a femicircle round the boat’s bow, andbeat fuch as attempted to break through this order. This man he loaded with prefents,giving likewife to others, and afked by figns for frefh water, in hopes of feeing wherethey got it. The chief immediately fent a man for fome, who ran to a houfe, and pre-fently returned with a little in a bamboo; fo that he gained but little information by this.He next alked, by the fame means, for fomething to eat; and they as readily brought hima yam and fome cocoa-nuts. In fhort, he was charmed with their behaviour ; and theonly thing which could give the leaft fufpicion was, that moft of them were armedwith clubs, fpears, darts, bows, and arrows. For this reafon the captain kept his eyecontinually upon the chief, and watched his looks as well as his actions. He mademany figns to haul the boat upon the fhore, and at laft flipped into the crowd, wherehe obferved him fpeak to feveral people, and then return, repeating figns to haul theboat up, and hefitating a good deal before he would receive fome fpike-nails whichwere then offered him. This made him fufpeft fomething was intended, and imme-diately he ftepped into the boat, telling them by figns that he fhould foon return. Butthey were not for parting fo foon, and now attempted by force, what they could notobtain by gentler means. The gang-board happened unluckily to be laid out for thecaptain to come into the boat. Unluckily, for if it had not been out, and if the crewhad been a little quicker in getting the boat off, the natives might not have had timeto put their defign in execution, nor would the following difagreeable fcene have hap-pened. As they were putting off the boat, they laid hold of the gang-board, andunhooked it off the boat’s ftern; but as they did not take it away, it was thought thishad been done by accident, and he ordered the boat in again to take it up. Thenthe natives hooked it over the boat’s ftern, and attempted to haul her afhore; others,at the fame time, fnatched the oars out of the people’s hands. On pointing a mufketa t them, they in fome meafure defifted, but returned in an inftant, feemingly deter-
8 mined