Mr. Banks and the Doctor went again on shore, in search of natural curiosities, when they met with a very amiable Indian family, among whom was a widow, and a pretty youth about ten years of age. She had just lost her husband, and was performing the ceremony of the country upon the occasion. They behaved with the utmost hospitality and courtesy, and endeavoured to prevail with the gentlemen to stay all night, but they expecting the ship to sail, could not accept of the invitation. This family seemed the most enlightened and intelligent set of Indians the gentlemen had as yet met with, which made them regret they had not fallen into their company before, as they would probably have derived much information from them.
On the 6th of February, in the morning, the Endeavour sailed out of the bay, which the ship’s company, from an abhorrence of the brutal custom that prevails here of eating men, called _Cannibal Bay_. They bent their course to an opening on the east; in the evening, being in the mouth of the streights, they were becalmed in latitude 41 deg. south, longitude 184 deg. 45 min. west. The two points which form this entrance, were named cape Koomaroo, and point Jackson. The natives call the land about it Totarranue; and the harbour, which the Captain named _Ship Cove_, is very safe and commodious. A ship may enter it either between Motuara and the island of Hamote, or between the western shore and Motuara. Care, however, must be taken to attend to the tides; when there is little wind they flow about nine or ten o’clock at the full and change of the moon, and rise and fall about seven feet and a half, passing through the streight from the south-east.
The natives about this sound are not above four hundred in number; they are scattered along the coast, and live upon fern root and fish; the latter of which was the only commodity they traded in. They were not entirely ignorant of the use of iron, bartering their fish for nails, and often giving them the preference to any other trifles that were offered them; they soon rejected paper when they found it was not water proof; nor was the cloth of Otaheite held in much estimation by them; but the cloths of English manufacture they highly valued. The timber here is very good, and fit for almost all purposes, except masts; besides fish, which is in great plenty, here are shags, and some other kinds of wildfowl, in abundance.
The Endeavour having left the sound, steered eastward, and about six o’clock in the evening they were greatly alarmed at their being carried, by the rapidity of the current, very close to one of the two islands which lie off Cape Koamaroo, at the entrance of the sounds. The ship was in such imminent danger, that they expected every minute she would be dashed to pieces; but letting go an anchor, and veering one hundred and sixty fathoms of cable, she was brought up, when they were not above two cables length from the rocks: in this situation they were obliged to wait for the ebb of the tide, which was not till after midnight; at three o’clock in the morning they weighed anchor, and a fine breeze springing up soon after, they were carried through the streight with great velocity. At the entrance of the streight, on the north-side, there is a small island, which was named _Entry Island_. The narrowest part of this streight, which was called _Cooke’s Streight_, is between Cape Tierawitte and Cape Koamaroo; it is about thirteen miles long and fourteen broad; the safest passage is on the north-east shore, the other being rocky and dangerous. The two eastern points of the streight Captain Cook named _Cape Palliser_ and _Cape Campbell_; the first is in latitude 41 deg. 44 min. south; longitude 183 deg. 45 min. west; and the latter in latitude 41 deg. 34 min. south-east, and longitude 183 deg. 58 min. west. The Endeavour was now about three leagues from land, facing a deep bay, which was called _Cloudy Bay_. Some of the gentlemen on board expressing a doubt that Eahienomauwe was not an island, the Endeavour steered south-east, in order to ascertain whether it was or not; upon the wind’s shifting, she stood eastward, and steered all night north-east by east. They were off Cape Palliser next morning (the 8th) when they discovered that the land reached away to the north-east towards Cape Turnagain. Three canoes came off in the afternoon, with several people in them; they made a good appearance, and their canoes were ornamented like those of the Indians of the northern coast. They came on board without the least hesitation, and behaved very civilly; a mutual exchange of presents took place, which was the first instance they met with of such courtesy among any of the Indians. By their asking for _Whow_, which signified nails, it was imagined they had heard of the Endeavour’s people from the inhabitants of some other place where she had touched. They resembled the natives of Tolaga Bay in their dress. One old man was tataowed in a very remarkable manner; he was likewise marked with a streak of red paint across the nose, and over both cheeks; his hair was quite white as well as his beard. His garment was made of flax, with a wrought border, under which was a kind of petticoat, made of a cloth called Aooree Waow; his ears were decorated with teeth and pieces of green stone. His voice was soft and low, and he appeared, upon the whole, to be a person of distinguished rank. These Indians retired greatly satisfied with the presents they had received; and the Endeavour, after parting from them, steered coastwise, till the 9th in the morning, which being a clear day, it was easily determined that Eahienomauwe was certainly an island.
On the 14th of February about sixty Indians, in four double canoes, came within a stone’s cast of the ship, which they beheld with surprise. Tupia endeavoured to persuade them to approach nearer, which they refused, and made towards the shore, but did not reach it till after it was dark. From the behaviour of these people, the place from whence they came was called the _Island of Lookers-on_. On the 17th of this month they saw an island, five leagues from the coast of Tovy Poenammoo, which was called after the name of Mr. Banks. This island appeared to be inhabited, as they saw a few Indians on it, and in one place beheld the smoke of a fire. As no farther signs of land appeared to the southward, they steered to the west on Sunday the 18th, and made various way till the 23d, when it fell calm. Mr. Banks took this opportunity to go a shooting in his boat; when he shot some Port Egmont hens, like those found on the island of Faro, and were the first they had seen on this coast. On Sunday the 25th they saw a point of land, in 45 deg. 35 min. south latitude, which Captain Cook named CAPE SAUNDERS, in honour of the Admiral of that name. They kept at a small distance from the shore, which is interspersed with hills that are green, and abound in trees; but they did not see a single inhabitant. They had various winds and seas till the 4th of March, when they saw several whales and seals.--On the 9th they saw a ledge of rocks, and soon afterwards another ledge, three leagues from the shore, which they passed to the north during the night, and discovered the others under their bow at day-break. Thus they had a narrow escape from destruction; and these ledges of rocks were denominated the TRAPS, from their being adapted to entrap the unwary. The southermost point of this land they called SOUTH CAPE, and indeed it proved to be the southern extremity of the whole country.
In the morning they sailed northward, and, on the day following, discovered a barren rock, about a mile in circumference, very high, and five leagues from the main land. This was called SOLANDER’S ISLAND. On the 13th they discovered a bay, which contains several islands, behind which, if there be depth of water, there must be shelter from all winds. Captain Cook called this DUSKY-BAY, and it is remarkable for having five high, peaked rocks, lying off it, which look like the thumb and four fingers of a man’s hand; whence it was denominated POINT FIVE FINGERS. Three leagues to the south of Dusky Bay lies the westermost point of land on the whole coast, which was therefore called WEST-CAPE.
On the 14th they passed a small narrow opening in the land, where there appeared to be a good harbour, formed by an island. On the land behind it were mountains covered with snow. On the 16th they passed a point, consisting of high red cliffs, which received the name of CASCADE POINT, from a cascade of water which fell down it in several small streams. On the 18th in the morning they observed the vallies as well as the mountains covered with snow, which they thought had fallen in the night, when they had rain at sea. On the 23d they gave the name of _Rock’s Point_ to a head of land, off which lay some rocks above the water.
They had now almost passed the whole of the north-west coast of Tovy Poenammoo; the face of the country afforded nothing worth notice, but a ridge of rocks of a stupendous height, “which Dr. Hawkesworth describes as totally barren and naked, except where they are covered with snow, which is to be seen in large patches in many parts of them, and has probably lain there ever since the creation of the world; a prospect more rude, craggy, and desolate than this country affords from the sea, cannot possibly be conceived; for as far inland as the eye can reach, nothing appears but the summits of rocks, which stand so near together, that, instead of vallies, there is only fissures between them.”