NORTH WEST COAST OF AMERICA. 259 



Soon after we were moored, the Indian boat, which ^ ^jr^f" ^^ 

 had followed us in,- came along-fide, and the people gave ' — - — » 

 us a fong in the ufual Indian manner. I found their Ian- Aoguft. 

 guage totally different from that fpoken by the natives in °" ^^ 

 Prince William's Sound; but they extended their arms as 

 a token of peace, nearly the fame as thofe people. Their 

 boat was the body of a large pine tree, neatly excavated, 

 and tapered away towards the ends, until they came to a 

 point, and the fore-part fomewhat higher than the after- 

 part; indeed, the whole was finifhed in a neat and very 

 exadl manner. I made my new viiiters a few trifling pre- 

 fents, and inquired for the fea-otter fkin, by the name it 

 bears at Prince William's Sound; but they not underftand- 

 ing me, I fhewed them a fea-otter fkin, and made flgns 

 for them to bring me fome, which they feemed inclined 

 to do. They were ornamented with beads of various 

 forts, and had fome other articles, which induced me to 

 think that the Queen Charlotte had touched near this 

 neighbourhood on her way to King George's Sound, par- 

 ticularly a tin kettle and fome towes, exadlly the fame 

 fort as ours. They made me underftand by flgns, that the 

 veffel from which they procured thofe articles had been in 

 a port to the Eaftward of Cape Edgecombe, and defcribed 

 her as having two mafts. This little information led me to 

 think that poffibly the Queen Charlotte might ftill be fome- 

 where about the Cape; and as I before had formed an in- 

 tention of fending the long-boat on a trading expedition, 

 I determined to fit her out with all poffible difpatch, and 

 accordingly I ordered a proper affortment of trade to be 

 got ready, and fix weeks provifions of all kinds that the 

 ihip afforded. The Indians, after receiving a hw pre- 



L 1 2 fents, 



