westward, but with an irregularity for which it is very difficult to account.  About one o’clock, the Tamar anchored in the bay on the south shore, opposite to Cape Quod, which we had just left, and we continued working to windward till seven in the evening, when we anchored in a small bay on the north shore, about five leagues to the westward of Cape Quod, with very good ground.  This bay may be known by two large rocks that appear above water, and a low point which makes the east part of the bay.  The anchoring-place is between the two rocks, the eastermost bearing N.E.1/2 E. distant about two cables’ length, and the westermost, which is near the point, W.N.W.1/2 W. at about the same distance:  There is also a small rock which shows itself among the weeds at low water, and bears E.1/2 N. distant about two cables’ length.  If there are more ships than one, they may anchor farther out in deeper water.  During the night it was calm, and the weather became very foggy; but about ten in the morning it cleared up, and I went on shore.  I found abundance of shell-fish, but saw no traces of people.  In the afternoon, while the people were filling water, I went up a deep lagoon, which lies just round the westermost rock:  At the head of it I found a very fine fall of water, and on the east side several little coves, where ships of the greatest draught may lie in perfect security.  We saw nothing else worthy of notice, and therefore having filled our boat with very large muscles, we returned.

[Footnote 31:  “We here saw a great number of islands, and many Indians dispersed in several quarters, amongst whom we found a family which struck our attention.  It was composed of a decrepid old man, his wife, two sons, and a daughter.  The latter appeared to have tolerable features, and an English face, which they seemed to be desirous of letting us know; they making a long harangue, not a syllable of which we understood, though we plainly, perceived it was in relation to this woman, whose age did not exceed thirty, by their pointing first at her, and then at themselves.  Various were the conjectures we formed in regard to this circumstance, though we generally agreed, that their signs plainly shewed that they offered her to us, as being of the same country.”  It is scarcely uncharitable to imagine that this young lady’s mother had once been unfaithful to her lord and master, preferring the addresses of some favoured European.  A little of our northern pride would have concealed this family disgrace.  But in those distant regions, where such occurrences must have been rare, perhaps vanity would gratify itself by transmuting it into an honour.  After all, however, it is very difficult to divine who was or could be the “gay deceiver.”  A fanciful reader, indeed, who was acquainted with Byron’s narrative of the loss of the Wager, might be tempted to conjecture that the good mother, being on an expedition to the northward of the straits, was one of the wives whom, as he says, the crew, at