a canoe, who, as soon as they saw us, came ashore, and, though they were all strangers, walked up to us, without any signs of suspicion or fear.  Two of these had necklaces of shells, which we could not persuade them to part with for any thing we could give them:  We presented them however with some beads, and after a short stay they departed.  We attempted to follow them, hoping that they would conduct us to some place where we should find more of them, and have an opportunity of seeing their women; but they made us understand, by signs, that they did not desire our company.

At eight o’clock the next morning, we were visited by several of the natives, who were now become quite familiar.  One of them, at our desire, threw his lance, which was about eight feet-long:  It flew with a swiftness and steadiness that surprised us, and though it was never more than four feet from the ground, it entered deeply into a tree at fifty paces distance.  After this they ventured on board, where I left them, to all appearance, much entertained, and went again with Mr Banks to take a view of the country; but chiefly to indulge an anxious curiosity, by looking round us upon the sea, of which our wishes almost persuaded us we had formed an idea more disadvantageous than the truth.  After having walked about seven or eight miles along the shore to the northward, we ascended a very high hill, and were soon convinced that the danger of our situation was at least equal to our apprehensions; for in whatever direction we turned our eyes, we saw rocks and shoals without number, and no passage out to sea, but through the winding channels between them, which could not be navigated without the last degree of difficulty and danger.  We returned therefore to the ship, not in better spirits than when we left it:  We found several natives still on board, and we were told that the turtles, of which we had no less than twelve upon the deck, had fixed their attention more than any thing else in the ship.

On the 19th in the morning, we were visited by ten of the natives, the greater part from the other side of the river, where we saw six or seven more, most of them women, and, like all the rest of the people we had seen in this country, they were stark naked.  Our guests brought with them a greater number of lances than they had ever done before, and having laid them up in a tree, they set a man and a boy to watch them:  The rest then came on board, and we soon perceived that they had determined to get one of our turtle, which was probably as great a dainty to them as to us.  They first asked us by signs, to give them one; and being refused, they expressed, both by looks and gestures, great disappointment and anger.  At this time we happened to have no victuals dressed, but I offered one of them some biscuit, which he snatched and threw overboard with great disdain.  One of them renewed his request to Mr Banks, and upon a refusal stamped with his foot, and pushed him from him in