thing out of his hand, which flew on one fide of him, and burnt exactly like gun-powder, but made no report; and the other threw their lances at us. No time was to be loft; we discharged our pieces loaded with fmall shot only, which, we imagine they did not feel; . for, without retreating, they caft a third dart: we therefore loaded with ball, and fired a fecond time. It is probable fome of them were wounded, as they all took to their heels immediately.

We improved this interval, in which the deftruction of the natives was no longer neceffary to our defence, and with all expedition returned to our boat. In the way we perceived signals on board, that more Indians were coming down in a body; and before we got into the water, we perceived several of them coming round a point at the distance of about 500 yards. When they faw us they halted, and feemed to wait till their main body fhould join them. They continued in this ftation, without giving us any interruption, while we entered the water, and waded towards the boat. We now took a view of them at our leifure. They made much the fame appearance as the New Hollanders, being nearly of the fame ftature, and having their hair fhort cropped. They were alfo like them stark naked. During this time they were fhouting at a distance, and letting off their fires, which feemed to be discharged by a fhort piece of flick, probably a hollow cane, this being fwung fideways, produced fire and fmoke like that occafioned by a mufket. The crew on board the fhip faw this ftrange appearance, and thought the natives had fire-arms. Those who went out in the boat had rowed a-breast of them, fired fome muskets above their heads, the balls of which being heard by the natives rattling among the trees, they retired very deliberately, and our people in the boat returned to the fhip. This place is in lat. 6 deg. 15 min. S.

Sept. the 3d, we made fail to the weftward, being refolved to spend no more time upon this coaft; but before

before we got under fail, fome of the officers ftrongly urged the captain to send a party of men on fhore, to cut down the cocoa-nut trees, for the fake of the fruit. This Capt. Cook, with equal wisdom and humanity, peremptorily refufed, as unjuft and cruel; fenfible that the poor Indians, who could not brook even the landing of a fmall party on their coaft, would have made a vigorous effort to defend their property, had it been invaded; confequently many muft bave fallen a facrifice on their fide, and perhaps fome of our own people. I fhould, (fays Capt. Cook) have regretted the neceffity of fuch a measure, if I had been in want of the neceffaries of life; and certainly it would have been highly criminal when nothing was to be obtained but two or three hundred green cocoa-nuts, which would at molt procured us mere tranfient gratification. I might, indeed, have proceeded farther along the coaft to the northward, or weftward, in fearch of a place where the hip might have lain so near the thore, as to cover the people with her guns when they landed; but this would have obviated only part of the mischief, and though it might have fecured us, it would probably in the very act have been fatal to the natives. Befides, we had reafon to think, that before fuch a place could have been found, we should have been carried fo far to the weftward as to have been obliged to go to Batavia, which was another reafon for making the best of our way to that place, especially as no difcoveries could be expected in seas which had already been navigated, and where every coaft had been laid down by the Dutch geographers."

On the 8th, we paffed two fmall illands, on one of which Capt. Cook would have landed, but having only ten fathom water, the ground being alfo rocky, and the wind blowing fresh, we might have endangered the fafety of the thip. We now failed at a moderate rate till the next morning at three o'clock; after which we had no ground with 120 fathoms. Before noon we

had

had fight of land, which was conjectured to be either the Arrou Iflands, or Timor Laoet. We were now in lat. 9 deg. 37 min. S. and in long. 233 deg. 54 min. W. We flood off and on, during the night, and on the 12th, we faw a number of fires and smoke in feveral places, from whence it was conjectured that the places was well peopled. The land and sea breezes being very flight, we continued in fight of the island for two days, when it was observed that the hills reached in many places quite to the fea coaft, and where that was not the cafe, there were large and noble groves of cocoa-nut trees, which ran about a mile up the country, at which distance, great numbers of houfes and plantations were feen; the plantations were furrounded with fences, and extended nearly to the fummits of the moft lofty hills, yet neither the natives nor cattle were feen on any of them, which was thought a very extraordinary circumstance. on the 16th, we had fight of a little ifland called Rotte; and the fame day faw the island Semau, at a diftance to the fouthward of Timor. The island of Rotte is chiefly covered with bufhy wood without leaves, but there are numbers of fan palm trees on it, growing near the fandy beaches; and the whole confift of alternate hills and vallies. The island of Seman is not fo hilly as Timor, but refembles it greatly in other refpecs. At ten o'clock this night a dull reddith light was feen in the are, many parts of which emitted rays of a brighter colour which foon vanished, and were fucceeded by others of the fame kind. This phonomenon, which reached about ten degrees above the horizon, boar a confiderable refemblance to the Aurora Borealis, only that the rayes of light which it emitted had no tremulous motion it was furveyed for two hours, during which time its brightnefs continued undiminished. As the fhip was now clear of all the islands which had been laid down in fuch maps as were on board, we made fail during the night, and were fur

prifed

praised the next morning at the fight of an ifland to the W. S. W. which we flattered ourselves was a new dif covery. Before noon we had fight of houfes, groves of cocoa-nut trees, and large flocks of fheep. This was a welcome fight to people whofe health was declining for want of refreshment, and it was inftantly refolved to attempt the purchase of what we ftood fo much in need of. The fecond lieutenant was immediately dispatched in the pinnace, in fearch of a landing-place; and he took with him fuch things as it was thought might be acceptable to the natives.-- During Mr. Gore's abfence the people on board saw two men on horfeback upon the hills, who frequently stopped to take a view of the veffel. The lieutenant foon returned with an account that he had entered a little cove, near which flood a few houfes; and feveral men advanced and invited him to land; and that they converfed together as well as they could by figns.

The lieutenant not being able to find any place in which the fhip might come to anchor, he was difpatched again with money and goods to buy such neceffaries as were immediately wanted for the fick. Dr. Solander attended the lieutenant, and during their abfence, the fhip ftood off and on the fhore. Soon after the boat had put off, two other horfemen were feen from the ship, one of whom had a laced hat on, and was dreffed in a coat and waftcoat, of the fashion of Europe. These men rode about on fhore taking little notice of the boat, but regarding the fhip with the utmost atten tion. As foon as the boat reached the fhore, fome other perfons on horfeback, and many on foot haftened to the fpot, and it was obferved that fome cocoa-nuts were put into the boat, from whence it was concluded, that a traffic had commenced with the natives. A fignal being made from the boat, that the fhip might anchor in a bay at fome diftance, fhe immediately bore away for it. When the lieutenant came on board; he reported, that he could not purchase any cocoa-nuts,

as the owner of them was abfent; and that, what he' had brought, were given him, in return for which he gave the natives fome linen. The method by which he learned that there was a harbour in the neighbourhood, was by the natives drawing a kind of rude map on the fand, in which the harbour, and a town near it, was reprefented; it was likewife. hinted to him, that fruit, fowl, hogs, and fheep might be there obtainedin great abundance. He faw feveral of the principal inhabitants of the ifland, who had chains of gold about their necks, and wore fine linen. The word Portuguese being frequently repeated by the Indians, it was conjectured that fome natives of Portugaie were in the island, and one of the boat's crew being of that kingdom, he spoke to the iflanders in his own language, but foon found that they had only learned a few words, of which they did not know the meaning. While the natives were endeavouring to represent the fituation of the town near the harbour, one of them, in order to be more particular in directions, informed the English that they would fee fomething which he endeavoured to defcribe, by placing his fingers across each other; and the Portuguese failor took it for granted, that he could mean nothing but a cross. When the boat's crew were on the point of returning to the ship, the gentleman who had been feen on horfeback in the drefs. of Europe, came down to the beach; but the lieutenant did not think it proper to hold a conference. with him, because he had left his commiffion on board the fhip. When the fhip had entered the bay in the evening, according to the directions received, an Indian town was feen at a distance; upon which a jack was hoifted on the fore-top-maft head, prefently afterwards three guns were fired, and Dutch colours were hoifted in the town; the fhip, however, held on her way, and came to an anchor at feven in the evening. The colours being feen hoisted on the beach the next morning, the captain concluded, that the Dutch had a fettlement on

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the