FIRST VOYAGE 71 



With regard to religion, they acknowledge one superior 

 being, and several subordinate. Their mode of worship 

 couid not be learned, nor was any place proper for that 

 purpose seen. 



A great similitude was observed between the dress, furni- 

 ture, boats, and nets of the New Zealanders, and those of 

 the inhabitants of the South Sea islands, which furnished a 

 strong proof, that the common ancestors of both were 

 natives of the same country. Indeed, the inhabitants of 

 these different places have a tradition, that their ancestors 

 migrated from another country many ages since, and they 

 both agree, that this country was called Heawige. But 

 perhaps a yet stronger proof that their origin was the same, 

 arises from the similitude of their language, which appears 

 to be only different dialects. 



They sailed from Cape Farewell on the 31st of March, 

 1770, and had fine weather and a fair wind till the 9th of 

 April, when they saw a tropic bird. On the 16th a small 

 land-bird perched on the rigging, from which they concluded 

 they were near land ; but found no ground with one hundred 

 and twenty fathoms. At six o'clock in the morning of the 

 19th, they discovered land four or five leagues distant ; the 

 southernmost part of which was called Point Hicks, in 

 compliment to the first lieutenant. At noon they dis- 

 covered another point of the same land, rising in a round 

 hillock, extremely like the Ram-Head at the entrance of Ply- 

 mouth Sound, for which reason Captain Cook gave it the 

 same name. What they had yet seen of the land was low 

 and even ; and the inland parts were green, and covered 

 with wood. They now saw three waterspouts at the same 

 time, one of which continued a quarter of an hour. 



On the 27th they saw several of the inhabitants walking 

 along the shore, four of them carrying a canoe on their 

 shoulders ; but as they did not attempt coming off to the 

 ship, the Captain took Messrs. Banks and Solander and 

 Tupia in the yawl, to that part of the shore where the 

 natives appeared, near which four small canoes laid close 

 inland. The Indians sat on the rocks till the yawl was 

 within a quarter of a mile of the shore, and then ran away 

 into the woods. The surf beating violently on the beach, 

 prevented the boat from landing. 



At five in the evening they returned to the ship, and, a 

 light breeze springing up, they sailed to the northward, 

 where they discovered several people on shore. They brand- 

 ished their weapons, and threw themselves into threatening 

 attitudes. They talked to each other with great emotion ; 

 and each of them held a kind of scimitar in his hand. 



They anchored opposite a village of about eight houses, 



