Page:Captain Cook's Journal during His First Voyage Round the World.djvu/232

156 it. Here it is very Convenient Wooding and Watering, and in the River are an immense quantity of Oysters and other small Shell fish; and this is the only thing it is remarkable for, and hath occasioned my giving it the Name of Oyster River. But the Snugest and Safest place for a Ship to lay in that wants to stay there any time is in the River at the head of the Bay, and where there is every conveniency the place can afford. To sail up and into it keep the South shore all the way on board. As we did not learn that the Natives had any name for this River, I have called it the River of Mangroves, because of the great quantity of these Trees that are found in it. The Country on the S.E. side of this River and Bay is very barren, producing little else but Fern, and such other plants as delight in a Poor Soil. The land on the N.W. side is pretty well cover'd with wood, the Soil more fertile, and would no doubt produce the Necessarys of Life, was it Cultivated. However, this much must be said against it, that it is not near so Rich nor fertile as the lands we have seen to the Southward; and the same may be said of its inhabitants, who, although pretty numerous, are poor to the highest degree when Compar'd to others we have seen. They have no Plantations, but live only on Fern roots and fish; their Canoes are mean, and without ornament, and so are their Houses, or Hutts, and in general everything they have about them. This may be owing to the frequent wars in which they are Certainly ingaged; strong proofs of this we have seen, for the people who resided near the place where we wooded, and who Slept every night in the Open Air, placed themselves in such a manner when they laid down to sleep as plainly shew'd that it was necessary for them to be always upon their Guard. They do not own Subjection to Teeratie, the Earadehi, but say that he would kill them was he to come Among them; they confirm the Custom of Eating their Enemies, so that this is a thing no longer to be doubted. I have before observed that many of the People about this bay had no fix'd habitations, and we thought so then, but have since learnt that they have strong holds—or Hippas, as they call them—which they retire to in time of danger.

We found, thrown upon the Shore in several places in this Bay, a quantity of Iron Sand, which is brought down out of the Country by almost every little fresh-water brook. This proves that there must be of that Ore not far inland. Neither of the Inhabitants of this Place, nor any other where we have been, know the use of Iron or set the least Value upon it, preferring the most Trifling thing we could give them to a Nail, or any sort of Iron Tools. Before we left this bay we cut out upon one of the Trees near the Watering