P.M. light breezes and Cloudy. About or a little after Noon
several of the Natives came off to the Ship in their Canoes and began to
Traffick with us, our people giving them George's Island Cloth for
theirs, for they had little else to dispose of. This kind of exchange
they seem'd at first very fond of, and prefer'd the Cloth we had got at
the Islands to English Cloth; but it fell in its value above 500 p. ct.
before night. I had some of them on board, and Shew'd them the Ship, with
which they were well pleased. The same friendly disposition was observed
by those on shore, and upon the whole they behaved as well or better than
one could expect; but as the getting the Water from the Shore proved so
very Tedious on account of the Surf, I resolved upon leaving this place
in the morning, and accordingly, at 5 a.m., we weighed and put to Sea.
This Bay is called by the Natives Tegadoo;* (* Anaura Bay.) it lies in
the Latitude of 38 degrees 16 minutes South, but as it hath nothing to
recommend it I shall give no discription of it. There is plenty of Wild
Sellery, and we purchased of the Natives 10 or 15 pounds of sweet
Potatoes. They have pretty large plantations of these, but at present
they are scarce, it being too Early in the Season. At Noon the Bay of
Tegadoo bore West 1/2 South, distant 8 Leagues, and a very high double
peak'd Mountain some distance in land bore North-West by West. Latitude
observed 38 degrees 13 minutes South; Wind at North, a fresh Gale.
Joseph Banks Journal
The surf being so great on the shore that water was got with great difficulty made the Captn resolve to leave the bay this morn, which he did tho the wind was foul so the whole day was spent in turning to windward.
Sydney Parkinson’s Journal
In the morning, the boats went on shore again for wood and water; and, a short time after, Mr. Banks and some others followed them; and, while they were absent, the natives came on board and trafficked with us; having brought some parcels of Oomarra, and exchanged them with us for Otaheite cloth, which is a scarce commodity amongst them. They were very cunning, in their traffic, and made use of much low artifice. One of them bad an axe made of the before-mentioned green stone, which he would not part with for any thing we offered him. Several of them were very curiously tatowed; and one old man was marked on the breast with a large volute, and other figures.
The natives, both on board and on shore, behaved with great civility, and, at night, they began to heivo and dance in their manner, which was very uncouth; nothing could be more droll than to see old men with grey beards assuming every antic posture imaginable, rolling their eyes about, lolling out their tongues, and, in short, working themselves up to a sort of phrenzy.
The surf running high, the men who went on shore found great difficulty in getting the water into the long-boat, and, in coming off, the boat was swampt; we therefore enquired of the natives for a more convenient watering-place, and they pointed to a bay bearing S. W. by W. On receiving this information we weighed anchor; but, the wind being against us, we stood off and on till the next morning.
No comments:
Post a Comment