Some
Of The Old Ones We Shot, But Could Not Come At The Young Ones, Which Are By
Far The Best Eating.
On the east side of the island we saw some geese; and
having with difficulty landed, we killed three, which, at this time, was a
valuable acquisition.
About seven, in the evening, we got on board, where Mr Pickersgill had
arrived but just before. He informed me that the land opposite to our
station was an island, which he had been round; that on another, more to
the north, be found many terns eggs; and that without the great
island, between it and the east-head, lay a cove in which were many geese;
one only of which he got, beside some young goslings.
This information of Mr Pickersgill's induced me to make up two shooting
parties next day; Mr Pickersgill and his associates going in the cutter,
and myself and the botanists in the pinnace. Mr Pickersgill went by the
N.E. side of the large island above-mentioned, which obtained the name of
Goose Island; and I went by the S.W. side. As soon as we got under the
island we found plenty of shags in the cliffs, but, without staying to
spend our time and shot upon these, we proceeded on, and presently found
sport enough, for in the south side of the island were abundance of geese.
It happened to be the moulting season; and most of them were on shore for
that purpose, and could not fly. There being a great surf, we found great
difficulty in landing, and very bad climbing over the rocks when we were
landed; so that hundreds of the geese escaped us, some into the sea, and
others up into the island. We, however, by one means or other, got sixty-
two, with which we returned on board all heartily tired; but the
acquisition we had made overbalanced every other consideration, and we sat
down with a good appetite to supper on part of what the preceding day had
produced. Mr Pickersgill and his associates had got on board some time
before us with fourteen geese; so that I was able to make distribution to
the whole crew, which was the more acceptable on account of the approaching
festival. For had not Providence thus singularly provided for us, our
Christmas cheer must have been salt beef and pork.
I now learnt that a number of the natives, in nine canoes, had been
alongside the ship, and some on board. Little address was required to
persuade them to either; for they seemed to be well enough acquainted with
Europeans, and had, amongst them, some of their knives.
The next morning, the 25th, they made us another visit. I found them to be
of the same nation I had formerly seen in Success Bay, and the same which
M. de Bougainville distinguishes by the name of Pecheras; a word which
these had, on every occasion, in their mouths. They are a little, ugly,
half-starved, beardless race. I saw not a tall person amongst them. They
are almost naked; their clothing was a seal-skin; some had two or three
sewed together, so as to make a cloak which reached to the knees; but the
most of them had only one skin, hardly large enough to cover their
shoulders, and all their lower parts were quite naked. The women, I was
told, cover their nakedness with the flap of a seal-skin, but in other
respects are clothed like the men. They, as well as the children, remained
in the canoes. I saw two young children at the breast entirely naked; thus
they are inured from their infancy to cold and hardships. They had with
them bows and arrows, and darts, or rather harpoons, made of bone, and
fitted to a staff. I suppose they were intended to kill seals and fish;
they may also kill whales with them, as the Esquimaux do. I know not if
they resemble them in their love of train-oil; but they and every thing
they had smelt most intolerably of it. I ordered them some biscuit, but did
not observe them so fond of it as I had been told. They were much better
pleased when I gave them some medals, knives, &c.[3]
The women and children, as before observed, remained in their canoes. These
were made of bark; and in each was a fire, over which the poor creatures
huddled themselves. I cannot suppose that they carry a fire in their canoes
for this purpose only, but rather that it may be always ready to remove
ashore wherever they land; for let their method of obtaining fire be what
it may, they cannot be always sure of finding dry fuel that will kindle
from a spark. They likewise carry in their canoes large seal hides, which I
judged were to shelter them when at sea, and to serve as covering to their
huts on shore, and occasionally to be used for sails.
They all retired before dinner, and did not wait to partake of our
Christmas cheer. Indeed I believe no one invited them, and for good
reasons; for their dirty persons, and the stench they carried about them,
were enough to spoil the appetite of any European; and that would have been
a real disappointment, as we had not experienced such fare for some time.
Roast and boiled geese, goose-pye, &c. was a treat little known to us; and
we had yet some Madeira wine left, which was the only article of our
provision that was mended by keeping. So that our friends in England did
not, perhaps, celebrate Christmas more cheerfully than we did.
On the 26th, little wind next to a calm, and fair weather, except in the
morning, when we had some showers of rain. In the evening, when it was
cold, the natives made us another visit; and it being distressing to see
them stand trembling and naked on the deck, I could not do less than give
them some baize and old canvas to cover themselves.
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