154 cook's FIRST VOYAGE JULY, 



of them came down to the sandy point, opposite to 

 the ship ; but upon seeing me put off in a boat to 

 speak with them, they all ran away with the greatest 

 precipitation. 



As the master continued absent with the boat all 

 night, I was forced to send the second lieutenant 

 for him, early the next morning in the yawl ; and 

 soon after four of the natives appeared upon the 

 sandy point, on the north side of the river, having 

 with them a small wooden canoe, with out-riggers : 

 they seemed for some time to be busily employed in 

 striking fish : some of our people were for going 

 over to them in a boat, but this I would by no means 

 permit, repeated experience having convinced me 

 that it was more likely to prevent, than procure an 

 interview. I was determined to try what could be 

 done by a contrary method, and accordingly let 

 them alone, without appearing to take the least 

 notice of them : this succeeded so well, that at 

 length two of them came in the canoe within a 

 musket shot of the ship, and there talked a great 

 deal in a very loud tone : we understood nothing 

 that they said, and therefore could answer their 

 harangue only by shouting, and making all the signs 

 of invitation and kindness that we could devise. 

 During this conference, they came insensibly nearer 

 and nearer, holding up their lances, not in a threaten- 

 ing manner, but as if to intimate that if we offered 

 them any injury, they had weapons to revenge it. 

 When they were almost along-side of us, we threw 

 them some cloth, nails, beads, paper, and other 

 trifles, which they received without the least ap- 

 pearance of satisfaction : at last, one of the people 

 happened to throw them a small fish , at this they 

 expressed the greatest joy imaginable, and, inti- 

 mating by signs, that they would fetch their com- 

 panions, immediately paddled away towards the 

 shore. In the mean time some of our people, and 

 among them Tupia, landed on the opposite side of 



