Page:Voyage of discovery to the North Pacific Ocean, and round the world in the years 1791-95, volume 2.djvu/294

266 »793' June.

inday and of a larger fize. Two or three whales, one near poi»^t Menzies, feve- ral feals, and fome fea otters had been fccn ; thefe were remarkably fhy, as were two black bears that were obferved on the fliores.

The tide in this neighbourhood appeared to rife and fall about ten feet ; and it is high water i o'' 20', after the moon pafles the meridian ; but neither the ebb nor tlie flood appeared to occafion any general, or even vifible, ftream.

Early the next morning, with rainy unpleafant weather, we again proceeded, keeping the (larboard or continental ftiore on board, to the fifth unexamined opening, lying from point Edward on King's ifland nearly north, about 6 miles ; in general a mile, but fometimes a league wide. We pafled an iflet and fome rocks, lying on the eafl:ern or (larboard (hore, where we breakfafted, and afterwards continued our refearches until about two o'clock, when we (lopped to dine in a bay on the western (hore, into which flowed the mod confiderable rivulet I had yet seen in this country. The tide was then at the loweft, yet it admitted our boats into its entrance, which is about thirty yards wide, and (bur feet deep, and difcharged a rapid (Iream of fre{h water until prevented by the flood tide. The fpring tides appeared to rife about feven feet. High water 11'' 10' after the moon palfes the meridian. This brook foon decrcafed in dimenfions within the entrance, and fliortly loft itfelf in a valley, bounded at no great diftance by high perpendicular mountains. Three Indians appearcil on the oppofite fide of the brook. I endeavoured by figns andolfers of trinkets to prevail on their crofling over to us, but without fuccefs ; at length they gave us to understand by figns, that if we would go back to our party who were at no great diftance, they would follow in their canoe. They paddled after us a few yards, but again returned to the (hore, on which one of them landed, and tiie other two again came forward. The man who had landed hailened back along the banks of the brook, with vifible marks of fear, as we conjc£luicd towards their habitations. His apprehensions operated on the other two, who alfo retired up the brook in their canoe. As we were preparing to depart about three o'clock, this canoe, attended by another containing fix or feven Indians, came down the rivulet;