Page:A voyage round the world, in His Britannic Majesty's sloop, Resolution, commanded by Capt. James Cook, during the years 1772, 3, 4, and 5 (IA b30413849 0001).pdf/197

Rh

them from different quarters. They shouted in their turn, and taking up the duck retired towards the boat, which was full half a mile off. The natives continued their clamours, but did not follow them; for indeed a deep branch of a river was between them, and their numbers were too inconsiderable to attempt hostilities; but these circumstances we only learnt in the sequel. We had in the mean while taken a ramble into the woods in search of plants; but hearing the shout of the natives, we embarked immediately in the remaining boat and joined the other, which by this time had taken Captain Cook and my father on board. We therefore proceeded up into a river, which was deep enough for the boats, and amused ourselves with shooting ducks, which were here in great plenty. We now saw a man, woman, and child on the left shore, and the woman waved to us with a white bird's skin, probably in sign of peace and friendship. On this occasion I could not help admiring, that almost all nations on our globe have tacitly agreed upon the white colour, or upon green branches, as tokens of a peaceable disposition, and that with these in their hands they confidently rely on a stranger's placability. Perhaps this general agreement had its origin anterior to the universal dispersion of the human species; this will seem the more probable when it is considered, that neither the white colour, nor the green boughs of a tree, have any intrinsic character, to which