Page:Journal of the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Banks.djvu/384

326 away, and was no longer perceived. All the latter part of the day we had calms or light winds all round the compass, the weather at the same time being most intolerably hot.

3rd. We stood right in-shore, and at half-past eight had less than three fathoms water five or six miles from the shore. The captain, Dr. Solander, and I, with the boat's crew and my servants, consisting in all of twelve men, well armed, rowed directly towards the shore, but could not get nearer than about 200 yards on account of the shallowness of the water. We quickly, however, got out of the boat, and waded ashore, leaving two men to take care of her. We had no sooner landed than we saw the print of naked feet upon the mud below high-water mark, which convinced us that the Indians were not far off, though we had yet seen no signs of any. The nature of the country made it necessary for us to be very much upon our guard. The close, thick wood came down to within less than 100 yards of the water, and so near therefore might the Indians come without our seeing them, and should they by numbers overpower us, a retreat to the boat would be impossible, as she was so far from the shore. We proceeded, therefore, with much caution, looking carefully about us, the doctor and I looking for plants at the edge of the wood, and the rest walking along the beach.

About 200 yards from our landing, we came to a grove of cocoanut trees of very small growth, but well hung with fruit, standing upon the banks of a small brook of brackish water. Near them was a small shed, hardly half covered with cocoanut leaves, in and about which were numberless cocoanut shells, some quite fresh. We stayed under these trees some time, admiring and wishing for the fruit, but as none of us could climb, it was impossible to get even one, so we left them, and proceeded in search of anything else which might occur. We soon found plantains and a single bread-fruit tree, but neither of these had any fruit upon them, so we proceeded, and had got about a quarter of a mile from the boat when three Indians suddenly rushed out of the woods, with a hideous shout, about a hundred