V/GQ' JtOUKD THE WOULD 339 



CHAP. IV. 



THE RANGE FROM MERCURY BAY TO THE BAY OF ISLANDS; AN 

 EXPEDITION UP THE RIVER THAMES: SOME ACCOUNT OF THE 

 INDIANS WHO INHABIT ITS BANKS, AND THE FINE TIMBER 

 THAT GROWS THERE : SEVERAL INTERVIEWS WITH THE NA- 

 TIVES ON DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE COAST, AND A SKIRMISH 

 WITH THEM UPON AN ISLAND. 



1 CONTINUED plying to windward two days to get 

 under the land, and on the 18th, about seven in the 

 morning, we were abreast of a very conspicuous pro- 

 montory, being then in latitude 36° 26', and in the 

 direction of N. 48 W. from the north head of Mer- 

 cury Bay, or Point Mercury, which was distant nine 

 leagues : upon this point stood many people, who 

 seemed to take little notice of us, but talked together 

 with great earnestness. In about half an hour, se- 

 veral canoes put off from different places, and came 

 towards the ship ; upon which the people on the 

 point also launched a canoe, and about twenty of 

 them came in her up with the others. When two of 

 these canoes, in which there might be about sixty 

 men, came near enough to make themselves heard, 

 they sung their war-song ; but seeing that we took 

 little notice of it, they threw a few stones at us, and 

 then rowed off towards the shore. We hoped that 

 we had now done with them, but in a short time 

 they returned, as if with a fixed resolution to provoke 

 us into a battle, animating themselves by their song 

 as they had done before. Tupia, without any direc- 

 tions from us, went to the poop, and began to expos- 

 tulate : he told them, that we had weapons which 

 would destroy them in a moment ; and that, if they 

 ventured to attack us, we should be obliged to use 

 them. Upon this, they flourished their weapons, and 



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