Page:Journal of the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Banks.djvu/132

74 evident signs that we were not unwelcome guests, although at first they hardly dared approach us; after a little while they became very familiar. The first who approached us came creeping almost on his hands and knees, and gave us a green bough, the token of peace; this we received, and immediately each of us gathered a green bough and carried it in our hands. They marched with us about half a mile, then made a general halt, and scraping the ground clean from the plants that grew upon it, every one of the chiefs threw his bough down upon the bare place, and made signs that we should do the same. The marines were drawn up, and, marching in order, dropped each a bough upon those that the Indians had laid down; we all followed their example, and thus peace was concluded. We then walked into the woods followed by the whole train, to whom we gave beads and small presents. In this manner we proceeded for four or five miles, under groves of cocoanut and breadfruit trees, loaded with a profusion of fruit, and giving the most grateful shade I have ever experienced. Under these were the habitations of the people, most of them without walls; in short, the scene that we saw was the truest picture of an Arcadia of which we were going to be kings that the imagination can form.

Our pleasure in seeing this was, however, not a little allayed by finding in all our walk only two hogs, and not one fowl. Those of our crew who had been with the Dolphin told us that the people whom we saw were only of the common sort, and that the bettermost had certainly removed: as a proof of this they took us to the place where the Queen's palace had formerly stood, and of which there were no traces left. We, however, resolved not to be discouraged at this, but to proceed to-morrow morning in search of the place to which these superior people had removed, in hopes of making the same peace with them as with our friends the blackguards.

14th. Several canoes came to the ship, including two in which were people who, by their dress and appearance, seemed to be of a rank superior to those whom we had seen