2SO 



A VOYAGE TO THE 



^ ^xii' ^' ^^^ daubed with paint ; and whiift you may be viewing the 

 » — — ' curious figure he cuts with his painted face, you may be 

 July." fure that his hands are not idle, if there is any thing 

 ueMayji. ^^^^ |^.^^^ worth ftcaling: and whenever you fee the arm 

 flipt from out the fleeve of the frock of fkins which they 

 always wear, you may be well affured that the perfon is 

 intent on thieving; and they always conceal the articles 

 they have ftolen under their frock, until they have an op- 

 portunity of flowing them away in their canoes; but not- 

 withftanding our knowing the profeffed thief, and all our 

 vigilance, they frequently ftole little things irom us, but 

 of no confequence. During our intercourle with them 

 they grew lefs addided to thieving, in confequence of my 

 fometimes appearing a little angry with them, and taking 

 fome pains to convince them of the impropriety of their 

 behaviour. Upon the whole, they appear a good kind of 

 people, and I am convinced in a little time, provided a 

 fettlement of fufficient ftrength were eftablifhed, would be 

 an induftrious fet of people in hunting and procuring the 

 fea-otter and other fkins for fale to the fettlers. The weaker 

 tribes, I think, are frequently robbed and plundered by 

 the ftronger, and prevented from hunting, which would 

 not be the cafe, were there a proper fettlement eftablifhed 

 in fome convenient place, for that would give protedlion to 

 the whole of the inhabitants of this Sound : and indeed I be- 

 lieve from this to King George's Sound they are by no 

 means fo numerous as was in general fuppofed, therefore not 

 fo dangerous to fettlers. I think this Sound, and as far as 

 Comptrollers Bay, would not mufter three hundred fighting 

 men; and Cook's River, according to Mr. Hill's obr 

 fervation, could not mufter much above that number; and 

 the whole of thefe people fland fo much in awe of fire- 



I arms. 



