Some, Indeed, Had Black Short Frizzled
Hair Like The Natives Of Mallicollo, But Others Had It Long, Tied Up On
The
crown of the head, and ornamented with feathers like the New Zealanders.
Their other ornaments were bracelets and necklaces;
One man had something
like a white shell on his forehead, and some were painted with a blackish
pigment. I did not see that they had any other weapon but darts and gigs,
intended only for striking of fish. Their canoes were much like those of
Tanna, and navigated in the same manner, or nearly so. They readily gave us
the names of such parts as we pointed to; but we could not obtain from them
the name of the island. At length, seeing our boats coming, they paddled in
for the shore, notwithstanding all we could say or do to detain them.
When the boats returned, Mr Cooper informed me, that they had landed on the
beach which is at the head of the bay, near a fine river, or stream of
fresh water, so large and deep that they judged boats might enter it at
high water. They found three fathoms depth close to the beach, and fifty-
five and fifty, two cables' length off. Farther out they did not sound; and
where we were with the ship, we had no soundings with a hundred and seventy
fathoms line. Before the boats got on board, the wind had shifted to the
S.S.E. As we were in want of nothing, and had no time to spare, I took the
advantage of this shift of wind, and steered down the bay. During the fore-
part of the night, the country was illuminated with fires, from the sea-
shore to the summits of the mountains; but this was only on the west side
of the shore. I cannot pretend to say what was the occasion of these fires,
but have no idea of their being on our account. Probably, they were burning
or clearing the ground for new plantations. At day-break on the 27th, we
found ourselves two-thirds down the bay, and, as we had but little wind, it
was noon before we were the length of the N.W. point, which at this time
bore N. 82 deg. W., distant five miles. Latitude observed 14 deg. 39' 30".
Some of our gentlemen were doubtful of this being the bay of St Philip and
St Jago, as there was no place which they thought could mean the port of
Vera Cruz. For my part I found general points to agree so well with
Quiros's description, that I had not the least doubt about it. As to what
he calls the Port of Vera Cruz, I understand that to be the anchorage at
the head of the bay, which in some places may extend farther off than where
our boats landed. There is nothing in his account of the port which
contradicts this supposition. It was but natural for his people to give a
name to the place, independent of so large a bay, where they lay so long at
anchor.
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