28 cook's second voyage julv, 



landed in the face of four or five hundred people, 

 who were assembled on the shore. Though they 

 were all armed with bows and arrows, clubs and 

 spears, they made not the least opposition. On the 

 contrary, seeing me advance alone, with nothing but 

 a green branch in my hand, one of them, who seemed 

 to be a chief, giving his bow and arrows to another, 

 met me in the water, bearing also a green branch, 

 which having exchanged for the one I held, he then 

 took me by the hand, and led me up to the crowd. 

 I immediately distributed presents to them, and, in 

 the mean time, the marines were drawn upon the 

 beach. I then made signs (for we understood not a 

 word of their language) that we wanted wood ; and 

 they made signs to us to cut down the trees. By 

 this time, a small pig being brought down and pre- 

 sented to me, I gave the bearer a piece of cloth, with 

 which he seemed well pleased. This made us hope 

 that we should soon have some more ; but we were 

 mistaken. The pig was not brought to be exchanged 

 for what we had, but on some other account ; pro- 

 bably as a peace-offering. For all we could say or 

 do did not prevail on them to bring down, after this, 

 above half-a-dozen cocoa-nuts, and a small quantity 

 of fresh water. They set no value on nails, or any 

 sort of iron tools ; nor indeed on any thing we had. 

 They would, now and then, exchange an arrow for 

 a piece of cloth ; but very seldom would part with a 

 bow. They were unwilling we should go off the 

 beach, and very desirous we should return on board. 

 At length, about noon, after sending what wood we 

 had cut on board, we embarked ourselves ; and they 

 all retired, some one way and some another. 



Before we had dined, the afternoon was too far 

 spent to do any thing on shore ; and all hands were 

 employed, setting up the rigging, and repairing some 

 defects in it. But seeing a man bring along the 

 strand a buoy, which they had taken in the night 

 from the kedge-anchor, I went on shore for it, ac- 



