228 CAPTAIN COOK'S VOYAGES 



preached us from the woods, without betraying any marks 

 of fear, for none of them had any weapons except one, 

 who held in his hand a stick about two feet long, and 

 pointed at one end. 



" They were of common stature, but rather slender. Their 

 skin was black, and also their hair, which was as woolly 

 as that of any native of Guinea ; but they were not dis- 

 tinguished by remarkably thick lips, nor flat noses. On 

 the contrary, their features were far from being disagree- 

 able. Most of them had their hair and beards smeared 

 with a red ointment ; and some had their faces also painted 

 with the same composition. 



" They received every present we made to them without 

 the least appearance of satisfaction. When some bread 

 was given, as soon as they understood that it was to be 

 eaten, they either returned it or threw it away, without 

 even tasting it. They also refused some elephant fish, 

 both raw and dressed, which we offered to them. But 

 upon giving them some birds, they did not return these, 

 and easily made us comprehend that they were fond of 

 such food. I had brought two pigs ashore, with a view 

 to leave them in the woods. The instant these came 

 within their reach, they seized them as a dog would have 

 done, by the ears, and were for carrying them off im- 

 mediately, with no other intention, as we could perceive, 

 but to kill them. 



" Being desirous of knowing the use of the stick which 

 one of our visitors carried in his hand, I made signs to 

 them to show me ; and so far succeeded, that one of 

 them set up a piece of wood as a mark, and threw at it, 

 at the distance of about twenty yards. But we had little 

 reason to commend his dexterity ; for, after repeated trials, 

 he was still very wide from the object. Omai, to show 

 them how much superior our weapons were to theirs, then 

 fired his musket at it, which alarmed them so much, that, 

 notwithstanding all we could do or say, they ran instantly 

 into the woods. 



" Thus ended our first interview with the natives. Im- 

 mediately after their final retreat, I ordered the two pigs, 

 being a boar and a sow, to be carried about a mile within 

 the woods, at the head of the bay. I saw them left there, 

 by the side of a fresh water brook. A young bull and a 

 cow, and some sheep and goats, were also, at first, intended 

 to have been left by me as an additional present to Van 

 Diemen's Land. But I soon laid aside all thought of this, 

 from a persuasion that the natives, incapable of entering into 

 my views of improving their country, would destroy them. 



" The morning of the 29th we had a dead calm, which 



