I directed my course within two small islands that lie to the north of Restoration Island, passing between them and the mainland towards Fair Cape with a strong tide in my favour, so that I was abreast of it by eight o’clock.  The coast we passed was high and woody.  As I could see no land without Fair Cape I concluded that the coast inclined to the north-west and west-north-west:  I therefore steered more towards the west; but by eleven o’clock at night we met with low land which inclined to the north-east, and at three o’clock in the morning I found that we were embayed, which obliged us to stand back for a short time to the southward.

Sunday 31.

At daybreak I was exceedingly surprised to find the appearance of the country entirely changed, as if in the course of the night we had been transported to another part of the world; for we had now a low sandy coast in view, with very little verdure or anything to indicate that it was at all habitable to a human being except a few patches of small trees or brushwood.

Many small islands were in sight to the north-east about six miles distant.  The eastern part of the main bore north four miles, and Fair Cape south-south-east five or six leagues.  I took the channel between the nearest island and the mainland, which were about one mile apart, leaving all the islands on the starboard side.  Some of these were very pretty spots, covered with wood and well situated for fishing:  large shoals of fish were about us but we could not catch any.  In passing this strait we saw another party of Indians, seven in number, running towards us, shouting and making signs for us to land.  Some of them waved green branches of the bushes which were near them as a token of friendship; but some of their other motions were less friendly.  A little farther off we saw a larger party who likewise came towards us.  I therefore determined not to land though I much wished to have had some intercourse with these people.  Nevertheless I laid the boat close to the rocks and beckoned to them to approach but none of them would come within 200 yards of us.  They were armed in the same manner as the people we had seen from Restoration Island; they were stark naked, their colour black, with short bushy hair or wool, and in their appearance were similar to them in every respect.  An island of a good height bore north half west four miles from us, at which I resolved to land and from thence to take a look at the coast.  At this isle we arrived about eight o’clock in the morning.  The shore was rocky but the water was smooth and we landed without difficulty.  I sent two parties out, one to the northward and the other to the southward, to seek for supplies, and others I ordered to stay by the boat.  On this occasion fatigue and weakness so far got the better of their sense of duty that some of the people expressed their discontent at having worked harder than their companions, and declared that they would rather be without their dinner than