88 cook's second voyage march, 



teeth loose ; and that many of them had every other 

 symptom of an inveterate sea-scurvy. Out of four 

 ewes and two rams which I brought from the Cape, 

 with an intent to put ashore in this country, I had 

 only been able to preserve one of each ; and even 

 these were in so bad a state, that it was doubtful if 

 they could recover ; notwithstanding all the care pos- 

 sible had been taken of them. 



Some of the officers, on the 28th, went up the bay 

 in a small boat on a shooting party ; but discovering 

 inhabitants, they returned before noon, to acquaint 

 me therewith ; for hitherto we had not seen the least 

 vestige of any. They had but just got aboard, when 

 a canoe appeared off a point about a mile from us, 

 and soon after, returned behind the point out of 

 sight, probably owing to a shower of rain which then 

 fell : for it was no sooner over, than the canoe again 

 appeared, and came within musket-shot of the ship. 

 There were in it seven or eight people. They re- 

 mained looking at us for some time, and then 

 returned ; all the signs of friendship we could make, 

 did not prevail on them to come nearer. After din- 

 ner I took two boats and went in search of them, in 

 the cove where they were first seen, accompanied by 

 several of the officers and gentlemen. We found the 

 canoe (at least a canoe) hauled upon the shore near 

 to two small huts, where were several fire-places, 

 some fishing nets, a few fish lying on the shore, and 

 some in the canoe. But we saw no people ; they, 

 probably, had retired into the woods. After a short 

 stay, and leaving in the canoe some medals, looking- 

 glasses, beads, &c, we embarked androwed to the head 

 of the cove, where we found nothing remarkable. In 

 returning back we put ashore at the same place as 

 before ; but still saw no people. However, they could 

 not be far off, as we smelled the smoke of fire, though 

 we did not see it. But I did not care to search far- 

 ther, or to force an interview which they seemed to 

 avoid j well knowing that the way to obtain this, was 



