TIIEPACIFICOCEAN. 99 



though their conllernation had made them leave us Co '777- 



" January. 



abruptly the day before, they were convinced that we in- > — -v — > 

 tended them no mifchief, and were defn-ous of renewing 

 the intercourfe. It was natural that I fliould wifli to be pre- 

 fent on tlie occafion. 



We had not been long landed, before about twenty of them, 

 men and boys, joined us, without expreffing the leafl; fign of 

 fear or diftruft. There was one of this company confpicu- 

 oufly deformed; and who was not more diftinguifhable by 

 the hump upon his back, than by the drollery of his gef- 

 tures, and the feeming humour of his fpeeches; which he 

 was very fond of exhibiting, as we fuppofed, for our enter- 

 tainment. But, unfortunately, we could not underfland 

 him ; the language fpoken here being wholly unintelligible 

 to us. It appeared to me, to be different from that fpoken by 

 the inhabitants of the more northern parrs of this country, 

 whom I met with in my firft voyage ; which is not extraor- 

 dinary, fmce thofe we now faw, and thofe we then vifited, 

 differ in many other refpecTis ■■. Nor did they feem to be 



* The moft fcrikiiig difference feems to be with regard to the texture of the hair. 

 The natives whcm Captain Cook met with at Endeavour River in 1760, are faid, by 

 him, to hiS'C fiattirally long and black hair, though h he untvevfally crof fed Jhart. In ge- 

 neral it isjlrait, hut fomctimcs it has a flight curl. We faw none that was not matted ar.d 

 filthy. Their beards were of the fame colour with the hair, and hujJiy and thick. See 

 Hawkefworth's Cclleftion, Vol. iii. chap. 8. p. 632. 



It may be necefiary to mention here, on the authority of Captain Kin? that do. 

 tain Cook was very unwilling to allow that the hair of the natives now "met with 'in 

 At'.venture Bay was -n-ooUy, fancying that his people, who firft obfervcd this, h^d been 

 deceived, from its being clotted with grer.fe and red ochre. But Captain Mine; pre- 

 vailed upon him afterward, to examine carefully the hair of the boys, which was 

 generally, as v/cll as that of the women, free from this dirt; .-.nd then he owned him,- 

 felf fatisfied that it was naturally woolly. Perhaps we may fuppofe it poffible, that he 

 himf;lf h.ad been deceived when he was in Endeavour River, from this very circuni- 

 ftance ; as he exprefsly fays, that they fnw none thai was not matted and fihk\-. 



O 2 fuch 



