A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Vol. 13 by Robert Kerr

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As soon as the poor wretches whom we had taken out of the water were in
the boat, they squatted down, expecting no doubt instantly to be put to
death: We made haste to convince them of the contrary, by every method
in our power; we furnished them with clothes, and gave them every other
testimony of kindness that could remove their fears and engage their
good-will. Those who are acquainted with human nature will not wonder,
that the sudden joy of these young savages at being unexpectedly
delivered from the fear of death, and kindly treated by those whom they
supposed would have been their instant executioners, surmounted their
concern for the friends they had lost, and was strongly expressed in
their countenance and behaviour. Before we reached the ship, their
suspicions and fears being wholly removed, they appeared to be not only
reconciled to their situation but in high spirits, and upon being
offered some bread when they came on board, they devoured it with a
voracious appetite. They answered and asked many questions, with great
appearance of pleasure and curiosity; and when our dinner came, they
expressed an inclination to taste every thing that they saw: They seemed
best pleased with the salt pork, though we had other provisions upon the
table. At sun-set, they eat another meal with great eagerness, each
devouring a large quantity of bread, and drinking above a quart of
water. We then made them beds upon the lockers, and they went to sleep
with great seeming content. In the night, however, the tumult of their
minds having subsided, and given way to reflection, they sighed often
and loud. Tupia, who was always upon the watch to comfort them, got up,
and by soothing and encouragement, made them not only easy but cheerful;
their cheerfulness was encouraged, so that they sung a song with a
degree of taste that surprised us: The tune was solemn and slow, like
those of our Psalms, containing many notes and semitones. Their
countenances were intelligent and expressive, and the middlemost, who
seemed to be about fifteen, had an openness in his aspect, and an ease
in his deportment, which were very striking: We found that the two
eldest were brothers, and that their names were _Tuahourange_ and
_Koikerange_; the name of the youngest was _Maragovete_. As we were
returning to the ship, after having taken these boys into the boat, we
picked up a large piece of pumice stone floating upon the water; a sure
sign that there either is, or has been a volcano in this neighbourhood.

In the morning, they all seemed to be cheerful, and eat another enormous
meal; after this we dressed them, and adorned them with bracelets,
anclets, and necklaces, after their own fashion, and the boat being
hoisted out, they were told that we were going to set them ashore: This
produced a transport of joy; but upon perceiving that we made towards
our first landing-place near the river, their countenances changed, and
they entreated with great earnestness that they might not be set ashore
at that place, because they said, it was inhabited by their enemies, who
would kill them and eat them. This was a great disappointment to me;
because I hoped the report and appearance of the boys would procure a
favourable reception for ourselves. I had already sent an officer on
shore with the marines and a party of men to cut wood, and I was
determined to land near the place; not, however, to abandon the boys,
if, when we got ashore, they should be unwilling to leave us, but to
send a boat with them in the evening to that part of the bay to which
they pointed, and which they called their home. Mr Banks, Dr Solander,
and Tupia were with me, and upon our landing with the boys, and crossing
the river, they seemed at first to be unwilling to leave us; but at
length they suddenly changed their mind, and, though not without a
manifest struggle, and some tears, they took their leave: When they were
gone, we proceeded along a swamp, with a design to shoot some ducks, of
which we saw great plenty, and four of the marines attended us, walking
abreast of us upon a bank that overlooked the country. After we had
advanced about a mile, these men called out to us and told us, that a
large body of the Indians was in sight, and advancing at a great rate.
Upon receiving this intelligence, we drew together, and resolved to
make the best of our way to the boats; we had scarcely begun to put this
into execution, when the three Indian boys started suddenly from some
bushes, where they had concealed themselves, and again claimed our
protection: we readily received them, and repairing to the beach as the
clearest place, we walked briskly towards the boats. The Indians were in
two bodies; one ran along the bank which had been quitted by the
marines, the other fetched a compass by the swamp, so that we could not
see them: When they perceived that we had formed into one body, they
slackened their pace, but still followed us in a gentle walk: That they
slackened their pace, was for us, as well as for them, a fortunate
circumstance; for when we came to the side of the river, where we
expected to find the boats that were to carry us over to the wooders, we
found the pinnace at least a mile from her station, having been sent to
pick up a bird which had been shot by the officer on shore, and the
little boat was obliged to make three trips before we could all get over
to the rest of the party. As soon as we were drawn up on the other side,
the Indians came down, not in a body as we expected, but by two or three
at a time, all armed, and in a short time their number increased to
about two hundred: As we now despaired of making peace with them, seeing
that the dread of our small arms did not keep them at a distance, and
that the ship was too far off to reach the place with a shot, we
resolved to re-embark, lest our stay should embroil us in another
quarrel, and cost more of the Indians their lives. We therefore advanced
towards the pinnace which was now returning, when one of the boys
suddenly cried out, that his uncle was among the people who had marched
down to us, and desired us to stay and talk with them: We complied, and
a parley immediately commenced between them and Tupia; during which the
boys held up every thing we had given them as tokens of our kindness and
liberality; but neither would either of the boys swim over to them, or
any of them to the boys. The body of the man who had been killed the day
before, still lay exposed upon the beach; the boys seeing it lie very
near us, went up to it, and covered it with some of the clothes that we
had given them; and soon after a single man, unarmed, who proved to be
the uncle of Maragovete, the youngest of the boys, swam over to us,
bringing in his hand a green branch, which we supposed, as well here as
at Otaheite, to be an emblem of peace. We received his branch by the
hands of Tupia, to whom he gave it, and made him many presents; we also
invited him to go on board the ship, but he declined it; we therefore
left him, and expected that his nephew, and the two other young Indians,
would have staid with him, but to our great surprise, they chose rather
to go with us. As soon as we had retired, he went and gathered another
green branch, and with this in his hand, he approached the dead body
which the youth had covered with part of his clothes, walking sideways,
with many ceremonies, and then throwing it towards him. When this was
done, he returned to his companions, who had sat down upon the sand to
observe the issue of his negociation: They immediately gathered round
him, and continued in a body above an hour, without seeming to take any
farther notice of us. We were more curious than they, and observing them
with our glasses from on board the ship, we saw some of them cross the
river upon a kind of raft, or catamarine, and four of them carry off the
dead body which had been covered by the boy, and over which his uncle
had performed the ceremony of the branch, upon a kind of bier, between
four men: The other body was still suffered to remain where it had been
first left.

After dinner, I directed Tupia to ask the boys, if they had now any
objection to going ashore, where we had left their uncle, the body
having been carried off, which we understood was a ratification of
peace: They said, they had not; and the boat being ordered, they went
into it with great alacrity: When the boat, in which I had sent two
midshipmen, came to land, they went willingly ashore; but soon after she
put off, they returned to the rocks, and wading into the, water,
earnestly entreated to be taken on board again; but the people in the
boat, having positive orders to leave them, could not comply. We were
very attentive to what happened on shore, and keeping a constant watch
with our glasses, we saw a man pass the river upon another raft, and
fetch them to a place where forty or fifty of the natives were
assembled, who closed round them, and continued in the same place till
sun-set: Upon looking again, when we saw them in motion, we could
plainly distinguish our three prisoners, who separated themselves from
the rest, came down to the beach, and having waved their hands three
times towards the ship, ran nimbly back and joined their companions, who
walked leisurely away towards that part which the boys had pointed to as
their dwelling-place; we had therefore the greatest reason to believe
that no mischief would happen to them, especially as we perceived that
they went off in the clothes we had given them.

After it was dark, loud voices were heard on shore in the bottom of the
bay as usual, of which we could never learn the meaning.[50]

[Footnote 50: It is remarked in the account of Tasman's voyage, that the
people of this island had very hoarse, rough, strong voices.--E.]

SECTION XXII.

_A Description of Poverty Bay, and the Face of the adjacent Country. The
Range from thence to Cape Turnagain, and back to Tolaga, with some
Account of the People and the Country, and several Incidents that
happened on that Part of the Coast_.

The next morning, at six o'clock, we weighed, and stood away from this
unfortunate and inhospitable place, to which I gave the name of _Poverty
Bay_, and which by the natives is called _Taoneroa_, or Long Sand, as it
did not afford us a single article that we wanted except a little wood.
It lies in latitude 38 deg. 42' S. and longitude 181 deg. 36' W.; it is in the
form of an horse-shoe, and is known by an island lying close under the
north-east point: The two points which form the entrance are high, with
steep white cliffs, and lie a league and a half, or two leagues, from
each other, N.E. by E. and S.W. by W.; the depth of water in the bay is
from twelve to five fathom, with a sandy bottom and good anchorage; but
the situation is open to the wind between the south and east: Boats can
go in and out of the river at any time of the tide in fine weather; but
as there is a bar at the entrance, no boat can go either in or out when
the sea runs high: The best place to attempt it, is on the north-east
side, and it is there practicable when it is not so in any other part.
The shore of the bay, a little within its entrance, is a low flat sand;
behind which, at a small distance, the face of the country is finely
diversified by hills and valleys, all clothed with wood, and covered
with verdure. The country also appears to be well inhabited, especially
in the valleys leading up from the bay, where we daily saw smoke rising
in clouds one behind another to a great distance, till the view
terminated in mountains of a stupendous height.

The south-west point of the bay I named _Young Nick's Head_, after
Nicholas Young, the boy who first saw the land; at noon, it bore N.W. by
W. distant about three or four leagues, and we were then about three
miles from the shore. The main-land extended from N.E. by N; to south,
and I proposed to follow the direction of the coast to the southward as
far as the latitude of 40 or 41; and then, if I met with no
encouragement to proceed farther, to return to the northward.

In the afternoon we lay becalmed, which the people on shore perceiving,
several canoes put off, and came within less than a quarter of a mile of
the vessel; but could not be persuaded to come nearer, though Tupia
exerted all the powers of his lungs and his eloquence upon the occasion,
shouting, and promising that they should not be hurt. Another canoe was
now seen coming from Poverty Bay, with only four people on board, one of
whom we well remembered to have seen in our first interview upon the
rock. This canoe, without stopping or taking the least notice of the
others, came directly alongside of the ship, and with very little
persuasion, we got the Indians on board. Their example was soon followed
by the rest, and we had about us seven canoes, and about fifty men. We
made them all presents with a liberal hand; notwithstanding which, they
were so desirous to have more of our commodities, that they sold us
every thing they had, even the clothes from their backs, and the paddles
from their boats. There were but two weapons among them, these were the
instruments of green talc, which were shaped somewhat like a pointed
battledore, with a short handle and sharp edges; they were called
_Patoo-Patoo_, and were well contrived for close-fighting, as they would
certainly split the thickest scull at a single blow.

When these people had recovered from the first impressions of fear,
which, notwithstanding their resolution in coming on board, had
manifestly thrown them into some confusion, we enquired after our poor
boys. The man who first came on board immediately answered, that they
were unhurt and at home; adding, that he had been induced to venture on
board by the account which they had given him of the kindness with which
they had been treated, and the wonders that were contained in the ship.

While they were on board they shewed every sign of friendship, and
invited us very cordially to go back to our old bay, or to a small cove
which they pointed out, that was not quite so far off; but I chose
rather to prosecute my discoveries than go back, having reason to hope
that I should find a better harbour than any I had yet seen.

About an hour before sun-set, the canoes put off from the ship with the
few paddles they had reserved, which were scarcely sufficient to set
them on shore; but by some means or other three of their people were
left behind: As soon as we discovered it, we hailed them; but not one of
them would return to take them on board: This greatly surprised us; but
we were surprised still more to observe that the deserted Indians did
not seem at all uneasy at their situation, but entertained us with
dancing and singing after their manner, eat their suppers, and went
quietly to bed.

A light breeze springing up soon after it was dark, we steered along the
shore under an easy sail till midnight, and then brought-to, soon after
which it fell calm; we were now some leagues distant from the place
where the canoes had left us, and at day-break, when the Indians
perceived it, they were seized with consternation and terror, and
lamented their situation in loud complaints, with gestures of despair
and many tears. Tupia, with great difficulty, pacified them; and about
seven o'clock in the morning, a light breeze springing up, we continued
to stand south-west along the shore. Fortunately for our poor Indians,
two canoes came off about this time, and made towards the ship: They
stopped, however, at a little distance, and seemed unwilling to trust
themselves nearer. Our Indians were greatly agitated in this state of
uncertainty, and urged their fellows to come alongside of the ship, both
by their voice and gestures, with the utmost eagerness and impatience.
Tupia interpreted what they said, and we were much surprised to find,
that, among other arguments, they assured the people in the canoes, we
did not eat men. We now began seriously to believe that this horrid
custom prevailed among them; for what the boys had said, we considered
as a mere hyperbolical expression of their fear.[51] One of the canoes,
at length, ventured to come under the ship's side; and an old man came
on board, who seemed to be a chief from the finery of his garment, and
the superiority of his weapon, which was a Patoo-Patoo, made of bone,
that, as he said, had belonged to a whale. He staid on board but a
short time, and when he went away, he took with him our guests, very
much to the satisfaction both of them and us.

[Footnote 51: It is remarked in the account of Tasman's voyage, that the
people of this island had very hoarse, rough, strong voices.--E.]

At the time when we sailed, we were abreast of a point, from which the
land trends S.S.W. and which, on account of its figure, I called _Cape
Table_. This point lies seven leagues to the southward of Poverty Bay,
in latitude 39 deg. 7' S. and longitude 181 deg. 36' W.; it is of a considerable
height, makes in a sharp angle, and appears to be quite flat at the top.

In steering along the shore to the southward of the Cape, at the
distance of two or three miles, our soundings were from twenty to thirty
fathom, having a chain of rocks between us and the shore, which appeared
at different heights above the water.

At noon, Cape Table bore N. 20 E. distant about four leagues, and a
small island, which was the southernmost land in sight, bore S. 70 W. at
the distance of about three miles. This island, which the natives call
_Teahowray_, I named the _Island of Portland_, from its very great
resemblance to Portland in the English Channel: It lies about a mile
from a point on the main; but there appears to be a ridge of rocks,
extending nearly, if not quite, from one to the other. N. 57 E. two
miles from the south point of Portland, lies a sunken rock, upon which
the sea breaks with great violence. We passed between this rock and the
land, having from seventeen to twenty fathom.

In sailing along the shore, we saw the natives assembled in great
numbers as well upon Portland Island as the main: We could also
distinguish several spots of ground that were cultivated; some seemed to
be fresh turned up, and lay in furrows like ploughed land, and some had
plants upon them in different stages of their growth. We saw also in two
places, high rails upon the ridges of hills, like what we had seen upon
the peninsula at the north-east head of Poverty Bay: As they were ranged
in lines only, and not so as to inclose an area, we could not guess at
their use, and therefore supposed they might be the work of
superstition.

About noon another canoe appeared, in which were four men; she came
within about a quarter of a mile of us, where the people on board seemed
to perform divers ceremonies: One of them, who was in the bow, sometimes
seemed to ask and to offer peace, and sometimes to threaten war, by
brandishing a weapon that he held in his hand: Sometimes also he danced,
and sometimes he sung. Tupia talked much to him, but could not persuade
him to come to the ship.

Between one and two o'clock we discovered land to the westward of
Portland; extending to the southward as far as we could see; and as the
ship was hauling round the south end of the island, she suddenly fell
into shoal water and broken ground: We had indeed always seven fathom or
more, but the soundings were never twice the same, jumping at once from
seven fathom to eleven; in a short time, however, we got clear of all
danger, and had again deep water under us.

At this time the island lay within a mile of us, making in white cliffs,
and a long spit of low land running from it towards the main. On the
sides of these cliffs sat vast numbers of people, looking at us with a
fixed attention, and it is probable that they perceived some appearance
of hurry and confusion on board, and some irregularity in the working of
the ship, while we were getting clear of the shallow water and broken
ground, from which they might infer that we were alarmed or in distress;
we thought that they wished to take advantage of our situation, for five
canoes were put off with the utmost expedition, full of men, and well
armed: They came so near, and shewed so hostile a disposition by
shouting, brandishing their lances, and using threatening gestures, that
we were in some pain for our small boat, which was still employed in
sounding: A musket was therefore fired over them, but finding it did
them no harm, they seemed rather to be provoked than intimidated, and I
therefore fired a four-pounder, charged with grape-shot, wide of them:
This had a better effect; upon the report of the piece they all rose up
and shouted, but instead of continuing the chace, drew altogether, and
after a short consultation, went quietly away.

Having got round Portland, we hauled in for the land N.W. having a
gentle breeze at N.E. which about five o'clock died away, and obliged us
to anchor; we had one-and-twenty fathom, with a fine sandy bottom: The
south point of Portland bore S.E. 1/2 S. distant about two leagues, and
a low point on the main bore N. 1/2 E. In the same direction with this
low point, there runs a deep bay, behind the land of which Cape Table is
the extremity, so as to make this land a peninsula, leaving only a low
narrow neck between that and the main. Of this peninsula, which the
natives call _Terakaca_, Cape Table is the north point, and Portland the
south.

While we lay at anchor, two more canoes came off to us, one armed, and
the other a small fishing-boat, with only four men in her; they came so
near that they entered into conversation with Tupia; they answered all
the questions that he asked them with great civility, but could not be
persuaded to come on board; they came near enough, however, to receive
several presents that were thrown to them from the ship, with which they
seemed much pleased, and went away. During the night many fires were
kept upon shore, probably to shew us that the inhabitants were too much
upon their guard to be surprised.

About five o'clock in the morning of the 13th, a breeze springing up
northerly we weighed, and steered in for the land. The shore here forms
a large bay, of which Portland is the north-east point, and the bay,
that runs behind Cape Table, an arm. This arm I had a great inclination
to examine, because there appeared to be safe anchorage in it, but not
being sure of that, and the wind being right an end, I was unwilling to
spare the time. Four-and-twenty fathom was the greatest depth within
Portland, but the ground was every where clear. The land near the shore
is of a moderate height, with white cliffs and sandy beaches; within, it
rises into mountains, and upon the whole the surface is hilly, for the
most part covered with wood, and to appearance pleasant and fertile. In
the morning nine canoes came after the ship, but whether with peaceable
or hostile intentions we could not tell, for we soon left them behind
us.

In the evening we stood in for a place that had the appearance of an
opening, but found no harbour; we therefore stood out again, and were
soon followed by a large canoe, with eighteen or twenty men, all armed,
who, though they could not reach us, shouted defiance, and brandished
their weapons, with many gestures of menace and insult.

In the morning we had a view of the mountains inland, upon which the
snow was still lying: The country near the shore was low and unfit for
culture, but in one place we perceived a patch of somewhat yellow, which
had greatly the appearance of a corn field, yet was probably nothing
more than some dead flags, which are not uncommon in swampy places:[52]
At some distance we saw groves of trees, which appeared high and
tapering, and being not above two leagues from the south-west cod of the
great bay, in which we had been coasting for the two last days, I
hoisted out the pinnace and long-boat to search for fresh water; but
just as they were about to put off, we saw several boats full of people
coming from the shore, and therefore I did not think it safe for them to
leave the ship. About ten o'clock, five of these boats having drawn
together, as if to hold a consultation, made towards the ship, having on
board between eighty and ninety men, and four more followed at some
distance, as if to sustain the attack: When the first five came within
about a hundred yards of the ship, they began to sing their war-song,
and brandishing their pikes, prepared for an engagement. We had now no
time to lose, for if we could not prevent the attack, we should come
under the unhappy necessity of using our fire-arms against them, which
we were very desirous to avoid. Tupia was therefore ordered to acquaint
them that we had weapons which, like thunder, would destroy them in a
moment; that we would immediately convince them of their power by
directing their effect so that they should not be hurt; but that if they
persisted in any hostile attempt, we should be obliged to use them for
our defence: A four-pounder, loaded with grape-shot, was then discharged
wide of them, which produced the desired effect; the report, the flash,
and above all, the shot, which spread very far in the water, so
intimidated them, that they began to paddle away with all their might:
Tupia, however, calling after them, and assuring them that if they would
come unarmed, they should be kindly received, the people in one of the
boats put their arms on board of another, and came under the ship's
stern: We made them several presents, and should certainly have
prevailed upon them to come on board, if the other canoes had not, come
up, and again threatened us, by shouting and brandishing their weapons:
At this the people who had come to the ship unarmed, expressed great
displeasure, and soon after they all went away.