Captain Cook weighed anchor the same afternoon, sailing down the river with the tide, the wind blowing fresh from north-north-west; the next morning the flood obliged him to cast anchor again; and the Captain, with Dr. Solander, went on shore to the west, but made no observations worth relating. The ship, at their departure from it, was surrounded with canoes, which induced Mr. Banks to remain on board, that he might trade with the Indians. The chief object of these people was paper, for which they exchanged their arms and cloaths, and took no unfair advantages. Though the traders were honest in their dealings, there was one amongst them, who took a fancy to a half-minute glass, but was detected in secreting it, and he was punished with the cato’nine tails. The other Indians endeavoured to save him from this punishment; but being opposed, they got their arms from the canoes, and some of the people in them attempted to get on board. Mr. Banks and Tupia now coming upon deck, the Indians applied to Tupia but he having no influence upon Mr. Hicks, the commanding officer, informed them of the nature of the offender’s intended punishment, which pacified them, as they imagined he was going to be put to death. The criminal not only received twelve lashes, but afterwards a drubbing from an old man, who was thought to be his father. The canoes immediately went off, the Indians saying, they should be afraid to return again on board. Tupia, however, had so much influence over them as to bring them back; but they seemed to have lost that confidence, which they had before reposed in the English.
On the 23d the wind being still against them, they were obliged to tide it down the river, anchoring between tides; they passed a point of land, which the Captain called _Point Rodney_, and which is the north-west extremity of the river. As they could not approach the land, on account of the wind, they had but a distant view of the main for a course of near thirty miles. Captain Cook comprehended, under the name of the River Thames, the whole bay; and the promontory at the north-east extremity, he called Cape Colville, in honour of the peer of that name. This cape is in latitude 36 deg. 26 min. longitude 194 deg. 27 min. it is distinguishable at a considerable distance by a very high rock. The river runs south by east from the south point of this cape; it is, in the narrowest parts, at least three leagues over for near fourteen leagues, when it becomes narrower. It was thought to contain fish in abundance, as there appeared many implements necessary for fishing; the water was in some places twenty-six fathoms deep, and gradually diminished. There are several small islands within cape Colville, which appear to form tolerable harbours. There are also islands towards the western shore. The anchorage is good in all parts of the bay, which is defended from the sea by a number of small islands, which Captain Cook named _Barrier Islands_.
The circumjacent country, which is pretty extensive, appeared to be but thinly inhabited; the natives are a stout and active people, and are painted red all over: their canoes were ornamented with carving, and were constructed upon a good model.
On the 24th, they still continued steering along the shore, between the islands and the main, and in the evening anchored in an open bay, in about fourteen fathoms water. Here they caught a large number of fish of the scienne, or bream kind; from which the Captain named this _Bream Bay_, and the extreme points of it _Bream Head_. There are numbers of rocks off this bay, which were called the _Hen and Chickens_; it is situated in latitude 35 deg. 46 min. seventeen leagues north-west of cape Colville. There is an extent of land of about thirty miles between Point Rodney and Bream Head; it is woody and low. No inhabitants were visible, but from the fires perceived at night, the gentlemen concluded it was inhabited.
On the 25th, early in the morning, the Endeavour sailed out of the bay, keeping to the northward near the shore. Some islands were soon after discovered, about ten miles to the north-north-east, which they called the _Poor Knights_; upon these islands there were some houses, and a few towns that appeared fortified, and the land round them seemed cultivated. Towards night several canoes, with a number of Indians, came up to the ship, and some came on board. Two of the Chiefs received presents, and told the gentlemen, that they had had an account of the arrival of the English in those parts. After their departure other Indians came up to trade, and soon began their usual fraudulent practices; the gentlemen had recourse to the old remedy of firing some small shot, and a round shot, which soon put them to flight.
Sunday the 26th, Captain Cook continued his course slowly along the shore to the north. This day two canoes came up, and some of the Indians came on board, when they trafficked very fairly. Two larger canoes soon after followed them, and coming up to the ship, the people in them hailed the others, when they conferred together, and afterwards came along-side of the ship. The last two canoes were finely ornamented with carving, and the people, who appeared to be of higher rank, were armed with various weapons; they held in high estimation their _Patoo Patoos_, which were made of stone and whalebone, and they had ribs of whale, with ornaments of dog’s hair, which were very curious. These people were of a darker complexion than those to the southward, and their faces were stained blacker, with what they call Amoco; and their thighs were striped with it, very small interstices of the flesh being left visible. Though they all used the black _Amoco_, they applied it to different parts, and in various forms. Most of them had the figure of volutes on their lips, and one woman in particular was curiously marked upon various parts of her body. These Indians seemed the superiors of the others, they were nevertheless not free from the vice of pilfering, for one of them having agreed to barter a weapon for a piece of cloth, he was no sooner in possession of the cloth, than he paddled away without paying the price of it; but a musquet being fired, he came back and returned the cloth. All the canoes then returned ashore.
The Endeavour passed a remarkable point of land, which the Captain called _Cape Bret_, in honour of the baronet of that name: this cape is much higher than any of the adjacent land. Within a mile to the north-east by north is a curious rocky island; it is arched, and has a pleasing effect at a distance. The natives call this _Cape Motugogogo_: it lies in latitude 35 deg. 10 min. 30 sec. south; and longitude 185 deg. 23 min. west. It forms a bay to the west, which contains many small islands, and Captain Cook named the point at the north-west entrance _Point Pococke_. There are many villages on the main as well as on the islands, which appeared well inhabited, and several canoes, filled with Indians, made to the ship, and after coming along-side to trade, shewed the same itch for cheating as the others. One of the midshipmen was so nettled at being imposed upon, that he had recourse to a whimsical expedient by way of revenge; taking a fishing line, he threw the lead with so much dexterity, that the hook caught the Indian who had imposed upon him by the buttocks, when the line breaking, the hook remained in his posteriors. These Indians were strong and well proportioned; their hair was black, and tied up in a bunch stuck with feathers: the Chiefs among them had garments made of fine cloth, ornamented with dog’s skin; and they were tataowed like those who had last appeared.
On the 27th the Endeavour was among a number of small islands, from which several canoes came off; but the Indians, from their frantic gestures, seemed disordered in their minds; they threw their fish into the ship by handfuls, without demanding any thing by way of barter. Some other canoes also came up, who saluted the ship with stones. One of the Indians, who was particularly active, threw a stick at one of the Endeavour’s men. It was then judged time to bring them to reason, and a musquet, with small shot was fired at him, when he fell down in the canoe. A general terror was now spread amongst them, and they all made a very precipitate retreat. Among the fish obtained from these canoes, were _Cavalles_ in great plenty, and for this reason the Captain called these islands by the same name.
For several days the wind was so very unfavourable, that the vessel rather lost than gained ground; on the 29th, having weathered Cape Bret, they bore away to leeward, and got into a large bay, where they anchored on the south-west side of several islands, and suddenly came into four fathom and a half water. Upon sounding, they found they had got upon a bank, and accordingly weighed and dropped over it, and anchored again in ten fathoms and a half; after which the ship was surrounded by thirty-three large canoes, containing near three hundred Indians all armed. Some of them were admitted on board, and Captain Cook gave a piece of broad cloath to one of the Chiefs, and some small presents to the others. They traded peaceably for some time, being terrified at the fire arms, the effect of which they were not unacquainted with; but whilst the Captain was at dinner, on a signal given by one of their Chiefs, all the Indians quitted the ship, and they attempted to tow away the buoy; a musquet was now fired over them, but it produced no effect; small shot was then fired at them, but it did not reach them. A musquet, loaded with ball, was therefore ordered to be fired, and _Otegoowgoow_ (son of one of the Chiefs) was wounded in the thigh by it, which induced them immediately to throw the buoy overboard. To complete their confusion a round shot was fired, which reached the shore, and as soon as they landed they ran in search of it. If these Indians had been under any kind of military discipline, they might have proved a much more formidable enemy; but acting thus, without any plan or regulation, they only exposed themselves to the annoyance of fire arms, whilst they could not possibly succeed in any of their designs.