i6o C O O K ’s VOYAGE, 
coming down ; and before we got into the water we faw feveral 
of them coming round a point at the diflance of about five 
hundred yards; it is probable that they had met with the three 
who firft attacked us ; for as foon as they faw us they halted, 
and feemed to wait till their main body fhould come up. We 
entered the water, and waded towards the boat; and they re- 
mained at their flation, without giving us any interruption. 
As foon as we were aboard we rowed abreall of them, and th<?ir 
number then appeared to be between fixty and a hundred. We 
now took a view of them at our leifure ; they made much the 
fame appearance as the New Hollanders, being nearly of the 
fame llature, and having their hair fhort cropped : like them 
alfo they were all dark naked, but we thought the colour of 
their fkin was not quite fo dark ; this however might perhaps 
be merely the effedt of their not being quite fo dirty. All this 
while <hey were fhcuting defiance, and letting off their fires by 
four or five at a time- What thefe fires were, or for whatpur- 
pofe intended, we could not imagine; thofe who difcharged 
them had in their hands a fhort piece of flick, poffibly a hollow 
cane, which they fwung fideways from them, and we imme- 
diately faw fire and fmoke, exadlly refembling thofe of amuf- 
quet, and of no longer duration. This wonderful phtenomenon 
was obferved from the fbip, and the deception was fo great 
that the people cn board thought they had fire-arms; and in 
the boat, if we had not been fo near as that we mull have heard 
the report, we fhould have thought they had been firing volleys. 
After we had looked at them attentively fome time, without 
taking any notice of their flafhing and vociferation, we fired 
fome mufquets over their heads: upon hearing the balls rattle 
among the trees, they walked leifurely away, and we returned 
to the flip. Upon examining the weapons they had thrown 
at us, we found them to be light darts, about four feet long, 
very ill made, of a reed or bamboo cane, and pointed with 
hard wood, in which there were many barbs. They w'ere 
difcharged with great force ; for though we were at fixty j ards 
diftance, they went beyond us, but in what manner we could 
not exactly fee: poffiblv they might be fhot with a bow; but 
we faw no bows among them when vve furveyed them from the 
boat, and v/e were in general of opinion that they were thrown 
with a flick, in the manner pradlifed by the New Hollanders. 
This place lies in the latitude of 6° 15' S. and about fixty- 
five leagues to the N. E. of Port Saint Augufline, or Walche 
Caep, and is near what is called C. de la Coita 
de St. Bonaventura. The land here, like that in every other 
part of the coafl is very low, but covered with a luxuriance of 
wood and herbage that can fcarcely be conceived. We faw 
thecocoa-nut, the bread-fruit, and the plantain tree, alLflourifh- 
tino-in a fate of the higheft perfedlion, though the cocoa-nuts 
*“■' 1I-PPO 
