210 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF NEW ZEALAND cu. 1x 
The country about us now was very fertile to appearance, 
and well wooded, so we came to anchor about a long cannon 
shot from the fort, from whence four canoes were immediately 
despatched to reconnoitre, I suppose, and, if might be, to 
take us, as they were all well armed. The men in these 
boats were dressed much as they are represented in Tasman’s 
figure, that is, two corners of the cloth they wore were 
passed over their shoulders and fastened to the rest of it 
just below their breasts; but few or none had feathers in 
their hair. They rowed round and round the ship, defying 
and threatening us as usual, and at last hove some stones 
aboard, which we all expected to be a prelude of some 
behaviour which would oblige us to fire upon them; but 
just at this time a very old man in one of the boats ex- 
pressed a desire of coming on board, which we immediately 
encouraged him to do, and threw a rope into his canoe, by 
which he was immediately hauled up alongside, contrary to 
the desire of all the other Indians, who went so far as to 
hold him fast for some time. We received him in as 
friendly a manner as possible, and gave him many presents, 
with which he returned to the canoes, who immediately 
joined in a war dance, whether to show their enmity or 
friendship it is impossible to say. We have so often seen 
them do it upon both occasions. 
After this they retired to their town, and we went 
ashore abreast of the ship, where we found good wood and 
water, and caught more fish in the seine than all our people 
could possibly consume, besides shooting a multitude of shags. 
The country, however, did not answer so well to Dr. 
Solander and myself as to the ship, as we found only two 
new plants in the whole evening. 
16th. The women and some of the men wore an article 
of dress which we had not before seen, a round bunch of 
black feathers tied upon the tops of their heads, which it 
entirely covered, making them look twice as large as they 
really were. On seeing this, my judgment paid an involun- 
tary compliment to my fair English countrywomen, for, led 
astray by the head-dress, which in some measure resembles 
