126 The V O Y 
were very neatly made, and finely carved, with the Figures 
ot various kinds of Fifh upon them ; and, of all the Indians 
we had ever feen, thefe feemed the moll tradable and po- 
lite. 
2 7. We foon after faw another Ifland, called in the 
Dutch Maps St. John' s ; the People of which fpoke the 
fame Language with thofe of Cave's Ifland. We faw 
from hence an Head-land to the South of us, beyond which 
we could difcover no Land at all ; whence I fuppofe, that 
from thence the Land trends away more Wefterly. This 
Head-land lies in the Latitude of 5 0 2' South, and its Me- 
ridian Diftance from Cape Mabo is 1290 Miles; in the 
Night we lay by, for fear of overfhooting this Head-land ; 
between which and Cape St. Mary' s, the Land is moun- 
tainous and woody, having many Points of Land {hoot- 
ing out into the Sea, which make fo many fine Bays. The 
Coaft lies North North-eaft and South South- weft. We 
faw neither Smokes nor Plantations near this Head-land, 
which we opened fair by Night ; and, as no Dutch Charts 
defcribed this Coaft fo far by ten Leagues, I called it Cape 
St. George. It lies in 5 0 f South Latitude, and, as I laid, 
is diftant from the Meridian of Cape Mabo 1290 Miles. I 
like wife called the Bay, formed by this Mountain, St. George's 
Bay, and the Ifland before it St. George's Ifland. The next 
Morning we faw a burning Mountain up in the Country. 
The Day after, we pafifed by the South- weft Cape of this 
Bay, leaving it to the North of us ; and, when we came 
a-breaft of it, I called up my Officers, and named it Cape 
Or ford , in Honour of my noble Patron Edward Ruff el , 
Earl of Orford. This Cape lies in 5 0 24' South Latitude, 
and 44 Miles Weft from the Meridian of Cape St. George. 
The Land on each Side of the Cape is more Savanna than 
Wood-land ; and it is higheft on the North- weft Side. 
The Cape itfelf is a Bluff-point, of an indifferent Height, 
with a flat Table-land at Top, When we were to the 
Weft of the Cape, it appeared to be a low Point, fhooting 
out : There were many Inhabitants about it. We fteered 
along South-weft as the Land lies, keeping about fix 
Leagues off the Shore, and being defirous to cut Wood, 
and fill Water : If I faw any Conveniency, I lay by in the 
Night, becaufe I would not mifs any Place proper for thofe 
Ends, for fear of wanting fuch Neceffaries. This Coaft is 
high and mountainous, and not fo thick fet with Trees as 
that on the other Side of Cape Orford , but otherwife plea- 
fant enough. I could have wiffied for fome more favour- 
able Opportunities than had hitherto offered themfelves, as 
well for penetrating into the Heart of the new difcovered 
Country, as for opening a Trade with its Inhabitants, both 
of which, I very well knew, could they be brought about, 
muft prove extremely beneficial to Great Britain. For this 
Reafon I continued my Endeavours in fpite of fo many 
Difappointments ; and, perceiving my Officers and Men 
more tractable and obedient than formerly, refolved to ex- 
amine the Continent we had now in View, as minutely as 
we had lately done the Iflands ; the Fruits of which In- 
quiry, fuch as they were, fhall be laid before the Readey 
with the fame Truth and Sincerity, which, I hope, appear 
confpicuoufly in the former Part of this Relation ; for, tho’ 
Difcoveries be not in a Man’s Power, yet a candid Relation 
of his Attempts, which is, may afford Lights to others, 
and thereby procure them that Succefs, of which he failed. 
28. On March 14. we had Sight of a pretty deep Bay, 
with fome Iflands about it, in which 1 judged we might 
ride pretty fecurely, and meet alfo with fome Refrefliments ; 
for, by the Smokes we faw, it was very evident, that the 
Country was full inhabited : About 10, we faw a Point, 
which ran pretty far out into the Sea, and a Bay within, 
where we were in hopes of meeting with frefli Water; 
and our Hopes were greatly increafed, when, going with a 
moderate Gale into the Bay, we difcerned all the Marks of 
a well-cultivated Country, viz. Cocoa-trees, regular Planta- 
tions, and a confiderable Number of Houfes. When I 
came within four or five Miles of the Shore, fix fmall Boats 
came off to view us, with about forty Men in them. Per- 
ceiving that they would not come aboard, I made Signs to 
them to go.afhore ; but they did not, or would not, under- 
Hand me : Therefore I whiffled a Shot over their Heads 
out of rny Fowling-piece ; and then they pulled away for 
the Shore as hard as they could. Thefe were no foorier 
AGES of Book I, 
afliore, but we faw three Boats coming from the Ifland to 
Leeward of us ; and they foon came within Call, for we 
lay becalmed ; one had about forty Men in her, and was 
a large well-built Boat ; the other two were but fmall. Not 
long alter, I faw another Boat coming out of that Bay, 
where I intended to go : She like wife was a large Boat, 
with an high Head and Stern, painted, and full of Men. 
This, I thought, came off to fight us, as probably they all 
did ; therefore I fired another fmall Shot over the great 
Boat that was nigh us, which made them take to their Pad- 
dles. We ftill lay becalmed ; and therefore they, rowing 
wide of us, directed their Courfe towards the other great 
Boat that was coming off. When they were pretty near 
each other, I caufed the Gunner to fire a Gun between, 
which he did very dextroufly ; it was laden with round 
and Partridge- fhot ; the laft dropt in the Water fomewhat 
fhort of them, but the round Shot went between two Boats, 
and grazed about 100 Yards beyond them : This fo 
frightened them, that they both rowed away for the Shore 
as faft as they could, without coming near each other ; and 
the little Boats made the beft of their Way after them ; and 
now, having a gentle Breeze at South South-eaft, we bore 
into the Bay after them. When we came by the Point, I 
faw a great Number of Men peeping from under the 
Rocks. I ordered a Shot to be fired to fcare them : The 
Shot grazed between us and the Point ; and, mounting 
again, flew over the Point, and grazed a fecond time juft 
by them. We were obliged to fail along juft by the Bays ; 
and, feeing Multitudes under the Trees, I ordered a third 
Gun to be fired among the Cocoa-nut-trees to fcare them ; 
for my Bufinefs being to wood and water, I thought it 
neceffary to ftrike fome Terror into the Inhabitants, who 
were very numerous, and, I had Reafon to fear, treacherous. 
After this I fent my Boat to found ; they had firft forty, 
and at laft twenty Fathom Water : We followed the Boat, 
and came to Anchor about a Quarter of a Mile from the 
Shore, in twenty-fix Fathom Water, fine black Sand and 
Oufe. We rode right again ft the Mouth of a fmall Ri- 
ver, where I hoped to find frefli Water. Some of the 
Natives {landing upon a fmall Point at the River’s Mouth, 
I fent a fmall Shot over their Heads to fright them, which 
it did effectually. In the Afternoon, I fent my Boat afliore 
to the Natives, who flood upon the Point by the River’s 
Mouth, with aPrefent of Cocoa-nuts : When the Boat was 
come near the Shore, they came running into the Water* 
and put their Nuts into the Boat : Then I made a Signal 
for the Boat to come aboard, and fent both it and the Yawl 
into the River to look for freffi Water ; ordering the Pin- 
nace to lie near the River’s Mouth, while the Yawl went 
up to fearch. In an Hour’s time, they returned aboard 
with Barrecoes full of frefli Water, which they had taken 
about half a Mile up the River : After which, I fent them 
again with Casks ; ordering one to fill Water, and the 
other to watch the Motions of the Natives, left they 
fliould make any Oppofition ; but they did not, and fo 
the Boats returned a little before Sun-fet with a Ton and a 
half of Water ; and the next Day, by Noon, brought 
aboard about fix Tons of Water. 
23. I fent afliore Commodities to purchafe Hogs, 
Yams, and other Roots. But my Men returned without 
any thing, the Natives being unwilling to trade with us 9 
yet they admired our Hatchets and Axes, but would part, 
with nothing but Cocoa-nuts, which they climb the Trees 
for ; and, lb foon as they gave them our Men, they 
beckoned to them to be gone, for they were afraid of us* 
The 1 8th, I fent both Boats again for Water; and, before 
Noon, they filled all my Casks. In the Afternoon I fent 
them to cut Wood ; but, feeing about forty Natives {land- 
ing on the Bay, at a fmall Diftance from our Men, I made 
a Signal for them to come aboard again ; which they did, 
and brought me Word, that the Men were paffing that 
Way, but were afraid to come nigh them. At four 
o’Clock I fent both the Boats again for Wood, and they 
returned in the Evening. Then I called my Officers, to 
confult, whether it were convenient to ftay here longer* 
and endeavour a better Acquaintance with thefe People : 
They all gave their Opinions for flaying longer here. So 
the next Day I fent both Boats afliore to fifh, and to cut 
more Wood. While they were afliore, about thirty or 
