1770. ROUND THE WORLD. 165 



ready for sea. We saw no Indians this day, but all 

 the hills round us for many miles were on fire, which 

 at night made a most striking and beautiful appear- 

 ance. 



The 21st passed without our getting sight of any 

 of the inhabitants, and indeed without a single inci- 

 dent worth notice. On the 22d we killed a turtle for 

 the day's provision, upon opening which we found a 

 wooden harpoon or turtle-peg, about as thick as a 

 man's finger, near fifteen inches long, and bearded at 

 the end, such as we had seen among the natives, 

 sticking through both shoulders : it appeared to have 

 been struck a considerable time, for the wound had 

 perfectly healed up over the weapon. 



Early in the morning of the 23d I sent some people 

 into the country to gather a supply of the greens 

 which have been before mentioned by the name of 

 Indian kale ; one of them having straggled from the 

 rest, suddenly fell in with four Indians, three men 

 and a boy, whom he did not see till, by turning short 

 in the wood, he found himself among them. They 

 had kindled a fire, and were broiling a bird of some 

 kind, and part of akanguroo, the remainder of which, 

 and a cockatoo, hung at a little distance upon a tree. 

 The man, being unarmed, was at first greatly terri- 

 fied ; but he had the presence of mind not to run 

 away, judging, very rightly, that he was most likely 

 to incur danger by appearing to apprehend it; on the 

 contrary, he went and sat down by them, and, with 

 an air of cheerfulness and good-humour, offered them 

 his knife, the only thing he had about him which he 

 thought would be acceptable to them ; they received 

 it, and having handed it from one to the other, they 

 gave it him again : he then made an offer to leave 

 them, but this they seemed not disposed to permit ; 

 still, however, he dissembled his fears, and sat down 

 again ; they considered him with great attention and 

 curiosity, particularly his clothes, and then felt his 

 hands and face, and satisfied themselves that his body 



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