The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World, Vol. III. Being the First of the Second VoyageCook, James
History
The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World, Vol. III. Being the First of the Second Voyage
Cook, James
Cook, James, 1728-1779 -- Travel; Explorers -- Great Britain -- Biography; Voyages around the world -- History -- 18th century
At day-light in the morning, I took two men in the small boat, and, with
Mr. Forster, went to take a view of the flat land at the head of the
bay, near to where we spent the night. We landed on one side, and
ordered the boat to meet us on the other side; but had not been long on
shore before we saw some ducks, which, by their creeping through the
bushes, we got a shot at, and killed one. The moment we had fired, the
natives, whom we had not discovered before, set up a most hideous noise
in two or three places close by us. We hallooed in our turn; and, at the
same time, retired to our boat, which was full half a mile off. The
natives kept up their clamouring noise, but did not follow us. Indeed we
found, afterwards, that they could not, because of a branch of the river
between us and them; nor did we find their numbers answerable to the
noise they made. As soon as we got to our boat, and found that there was
a river that would admit us, I rowed in, and was soon after joined by
Mr. Cooper, in the other boat. With this reinforcement I proceeded up
the river, shooting wild ducks, of which there were great numbers; as we
went along, now and then, hearing the natives in the woods. At length
two appeared on the banks of the river, a man and a woman; and the
latter kept waving something white in her hand, as a sign of friendship.
Mr. Cooper being near them, I called to him to land, as I wanted to take
the advantage of the tide to get as high up as possible, which did not
much exceed half a mile, when I was stopped by the strength of the
stream and great stones which lay in the bed of the river.
On my return, I found that, as Mr. Cooper did not land when the natives
expected him, they had retired into the woods; but two others now
appeared on the opposite bank. I endeavoured to have an interview with
them; but this I could not effect. For, as I approached the shore, they
always retired farther into the woods, which were so thick as to cover
them from our sight. The falling tide obliged me to retire out of the
river, to the place where we had spent the night. There we breakfasted,
and afterwards embarked, in order to return on board; but, just as we
were going, we saw two men, on the opposite shore, hallooing to us,
which induced me to row over to them. I landed, with two others,
unarmed; the two natives standing about 100 yards from the water side,
with each a spear in his hand. When we three advanced, they retired; but
stood when I advanced alone.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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