Lieutenant Gore land* &c. 167 
unexpectedly faw an ifland bearing weft fouth weft, and at 
Hrft i thought we had made a new difcovery. We fleered 
<iircd>ly for it, and by ten o’clock were dole in with the nOith 
fide of it, where we faw houfes, cocoa-nut trees, and, to our 
very agreeable furprife, numerous flocks of lheep. This was 
a temptation not to be refilled by people in our fituation, efpe- 
cially as many of us were in a bad ftate ot health, and many 
ftill repining at my not having touched at Timor : it was 
therefore foon determined to attempt a commerce with people 
who appeared to be fo well able to fupply our many necefikies, 
and remove at once the ficknels and dilcontent that had got 
footing among us. The pinnace was hoilted out, and Mr. 
Gore, the Second Lieutenant, fent to fee if there was any con- 
venient place to land, taking with him feme trifles, as pre- 
fents to the natives, if any of them Ihould appear. While he 
was gone, we faw from the fhip two men on horfeback, who 
feemed to be riding upon the hills for their amyfement, and 
often flopped to look at the ftiip. By this we knew that the 
place had been fettled by Europeans, and hoped, that the ma- 
ny dilagreeable circumftances which always attend the firft 
eftablilhment of commerce with favages, would be avoided. 
In the mean time, Mr. Gore landed in a fmall fandy cove, 
near fome houfes, and was met by eight or ten.of the natives, 
who, as well in their drefs as their perfons, very much refemb- 
led the Malays : they were without arms, except the knives 
which it is their cuftom to wear in their girdles, and one of 
them had a jackafs with him : they courtecufly invited him 
alhore, and converfe.d with him by figns, but very little of the 
meaning of either party could be underftood by the other. In 
a fliort time he returned with this report, and, to cur great 
mortification, added, that there was no anchorage for the 
ftiip. I fent him however a fecond time, with both money and 
goods, that he might, if poflible, purchafe fome refrefhmehts, 
at leaft for the fick ; and Dr. Solander w'ent in the boat with 
him. In the mean time I r kept Handing on and off with the 
ftiip, which at this time was within about a mile of the fliore. 
Before the boat could land, we faw two other horfemen, one 
of whom was in a compleat European drefs, confiding of a 
blue coat, a white waiftcoat, and a laced hat : thefe people, 
when the boat came to the fnore, took little notice of her, but 
fauntered about, and feemed to look with great curiofity at the 
fhip. We law however other horfemen,- ana a great number 
of perfons on foot, gather round our people, and, to our great 
fatisfadlion, perceived ieyeral cocoa-nuts carried into the boat, 
from which we concluded that peace and commerce vvereeftab- 
lilhed between us. 
After the boat had been alhore about an hour and a half, 
lhe made the fign.il for having intelligence that there was a 
bay to leeward where vye might anchor : we ftoed away dt- 
' . KCly 
