Saw as we came in on both points of the bay, several of the natives and a few huts, men, women and children on the south shore abreast of the ship, to which place I went in the boats in hopes of speaking with them, accompanied by Mr Banks, Dr Solander, and Tupia.
As we approached the shore, they all made off except two men who seemed resolved to oppose our landing. As soon as I saw this, I ordered the boats to lay upon their oars in order to speak to them. But this was to little purpose for neither us nor Tupia could understand one word they said. When then through them some nails, beads, etc. ashore which they took up and seemed not ill-pleased in so much that I thought they beckoned us to come ashore. But in this we were mistaken, for as soon as we put the boat in again, they again came to oppose us, upon which I fired a musket between the two, which had no other effect that to make them retire back where bundles of their darts lay. And one of them took up a stone and threw at us, which caused my firing a second musket load with small shot. And although some of the shot struck the man, yet it had no other effect than to make him lay hold of a shield or target to defend himself.
Immediately after this, we landed, which we had no sooner done than they throwed two darts at us. This obliged me to fire a third shot, soon after which they both made off, but not in such haste but what we might have taken one. But Mr Banks being of opinion that the darts were poisoned made me cautious how I advanced into the woods. We found here a few small huts made of the bark of trees, in one of which were four or five small children, with whom we left some strings of beads etc. A quantity of darts lay about the huts, these we took away with us.
