THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
457 
day, as in this climate meat will not keep till the next. 
After confulting with Luco, it was concluded, that the re¬ 
mainder fhould be driven through the wood, and over the 
hill down to the bay, where Captain Gore and I had landed 
the day before, which being fheltered from the wind, was 
more free from furf. This plan was accordingly put in 
execution ; hut the untra&ablenefs and prodigious flrength 
of the buffaloes, rendered it a tedious and difficult opera¬ 
tion. The method of conducting them was, by palling 
ropes through their noftrils, and round their horns; but 
having been once enraged at the fight of our men, they 
became l'o furious, that they fometimes broke the trees, to 
which we were often under the neceflity of tying them; 
fometimes they tore afunder the cartilage of the noftril, 
through which the ropes ran, and got loofe. On thefe occa- 
fions, all the exertions of our men, to recover them, would 
have been ineffectual, without the afliftance of fome young 
boys, whom thefe animals would permit to approach them, 
and by whofe little managements their rage was foon ap¬ 
pealed. And when, at length, they were got down to the 
beach, it was by their aid, in twilling ropes round their 
legs, in the manner they were directed, that we were en¬ 
abled to throw them down, and by that means to get them 
into the boats. A circumftance, refpeCting thefe animals, 
which I thought no lefs lingular than this gentlenefs to¬ 
ward, and, as it fhould feem, affeCtion for little children, 
was, that they had not been twenty-four hours on board, 
before they became the tamelf of all creatures. I kept two 
of them, a male and female, for a confiderable time, which 
became great favourites with the failors, and, thinking that 
a breed of animals of fuch flrength and lize, fome of them 
weighing, when dreffed, feven hundred pounds weight, 
Vol. III. 3 N would 
1780. 
January. 
' 11 ij ~ f 
