Specimens of their Language. 151 
the perforation of the Ihield by a fpear which has been juft 
mentioned, for none of them appeared to have been wounded 
by an enemy. Neither can we determine whether they are 
pofilanimous or brave ; the refolution with which two of them 
attempted to prevent our landing, when we had two boats 
full of men, in Botany Bay, even after one of them was wound- 
ed with fmall Ihot, gave us reafon to conclude that they were 
not only naturally courageous, but that they had acquired a 
familiarity with the dangers of hoftility, and were, by habit 
as well as nature, a daring and warlike people ; but their pre- 
cipitate flight from every other place that we approached, 
without even a menace, while they ware out of our reach, 
was an indication of uncommon tamenefs and timidity, fuch 
as thofe who had only been occafionally warriors mnft be fup- 
pofed to have fhaken off, whatever might have been their 
natural difpofition. I have faithfully related fads, the reader 
mull judge of the people for himfelf. 
From the account that has been given of our commerce with 
them, it cannot be fuppofed that we Ihould know much of 
their language ; yet as this is an objed of great curiofity, es- 
pecially to the learned, and of great importance in their re- 
searches into the origin of the various nations that have been 
difcovered, we took Some pains to bring away fuch a Specimen 
of it as might, in a certain degree, anfwer thepurpofe, and I 
lhall now give an account how it was procured. If we want- 
ed to know the name of a ftone, we took a ftone up into our 
hands, and as well as we could, intimated by Signs that we 
wilhed they fhould name it.; the word that they pronounced 
upon the occafion, we immediately wrote down. This me- 
thod, though it was the beft we could contrive, might cer- 
tainly lead us into many miftakes ; for if an Indian was to 
take up a ftone, and alk us the name of it, we might anfwer a 
pebble or a flint ; fo when we took up a ftone, and alked an 
Indian the name of it, he might pronounce a word that dif- 
tinguilhed the Species and not the genus, or that, inftead of 
fignifying ftone Simply, might Signify a rough ftone, or a 
Smooth ftone ; however, as much as poflible to avoid miftakes 
of this kind, Several of us contrived, at different times, to get 
from them as many words as we could, and having noted them 
down, compared our lifts : thole which were the Same in 
and which, according to every one’s account, figniiied 
the fame thing, we ventured to record, with a very few 
others, which, from the Simplicity of the Subject, and 
the eafe of expreffing our queftion with plainnefs and precifion 
by a Sign, have acquired equal authority. 
Englilh, 
