THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
33i 
fome doubt. For though we found amongft them things 1778. 
doubtlefs of European manufacture, or at leaf! derived from » A | ml 
fome civilized nation, fuch as iron and brafs, it, by no 
means, appears that they receive them immediately from 
thefe nations. For we never obferved the lead; fign of their 
having feen ftiips like ours before, nor of their having 
traded with fuch people. Many circumftances ferve to prove 
this almoft beyond a doubt. They were earned: in their 
inquiries, by ligns, on our arrival, if we meant to fettle 
amongd: them; and if we came as friends : fignifying, at 
the fame time, that they gave the wood and water freely, 
from friendlhip. This not only proves, that they confider- 
ed the place as entirely their property, without fearing any 
fuperiority ; but the inquiry would have been an unnatural 
one, on a fuppofttion that any fhips had been here before; 
had trafficked, and fupplied themfelves with wood and wa¬ 
ter ; and had then departed; for, in that cafe, they might 
reafonably expert we would do the fame. They, indeed, 
exprefled no marks of furprize at feeing our fhips. But 
this, as I obferved before, may be imputed to their natural 
indolence of temper, and want of curioftty. Nor were they 
even ftartled at the report of a mufquet; till, one day, upon 
their endeavouring to make us fenftble, that their arrows 
and fpears could not penetrate the hide-drefies, one of our 
gentlemen fhot a mufquet ball through one of them, folded 
fix times. At this they were fo much ftaggered, that they 
plainly difcovered their ignorance of the effedt of fire-arms. 
This was very often confirmed afterward when we ufed them 
at their village, and other places, to fhoot birds, the manner 
of which plainly confounded them; and our explanations of 
the ufe of ftiot and ball, were received with the moft fignifi- 
cant marks of their having no previous ideas on this matter. 
U u 2 Some 
