A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 13Kerr, Robert
History
A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 13
Kerr, Robert
Voyages and travels
certainly with great prudence, declined.
The morning of the next day was so rainy, that we were all glad to stay
on board. In the afternoon, however, it cleared up, and we made another
excursion along the sea-coast to the southward: We went ashore, and Mr
Banks and Dr Solander gathered many plants; but besides these we saw
nothing worthy of notice. At our first entering the woods, we met with
three of the natives, who instantly ran away: More of them were seen by
some of the people, but they all disappeared, with great precipitation,
as soon as they found that they were discovered. By the boldness of
these people at our first landing, and the terror that seized them at
the sight of us afterwards, it appears that they were sufficiently
intimidated by our fire-arms: Not that we had any reason to think the
people much hurt by the small-shot which we were obliged to fire at
them, when they attacked us at our coming out of the boat; but they had
probably seen the effects of them, from their lurking-places, upon the
birds that we had shot. Tupia, who was now become a good marksman,
frequently strayed from us to shoot parrots; and he had told us, that
while he was thus employed, he had once met with nine Indians, who, as
soon as they perceived he saw them, ran from him, in great confusion and
terror.
The next day, twelve canoes, in each of which was a single Indian, came
towards the watering-place, and were within half a mile of it a
considerable time: They were employed in striking fish, upon which, like
others that we had seen before, they were so intent, that they seemed to
regard nothing else. It happened, however, that a party of our people
were out a-shooting near the place, and one of the men, whose curiosity
might at length perhaps be roused by the report of the fowling-pieces,
was observed by Mr Banks to haul up his canoe upon the beach, and go
towards the shooting party: In something more than a quarter of an hour
he returned, launched his canoe, and went off in her to his companions.
This incident makes it probable that the natives acquired a knowledge of
the destructive power of our fire-arms, when we knew nothing of the
matter; for this man was not seen by any of the party whose operations
he had reconnoitred.
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