The Next Day Some Others Told The Same Story, Or Nearly To The Same
Purport, And Pointed Over The East Bay, Which Is On The East Side Of The
Sound, As To The Place Where It Happened.
These stories making me very
uneasy about the Adventure, I desired Mr Wales, and those on shore, to let
me know if any of the natives should mention it again, or to send them to
me; for I had not heard any thing from them myself.
When Mr Wales came on
board to dinner he found the very people who had told him the story on
shore, and pointed them out to me. I enquired about the affair, and
endeavoured to come at the truth by every method I could think of. All I
could get from them was, "Caurey," (no); and they not only denied every
syllable of what they had said on shore, but seemed wholly ignorant of the
matter; so that I began to think our people had misunderstood them, and
that the story referred to some of their own people and boats.[4]
On the 28th, fresh gales westerly, and fair weather. We rigged and fitted
the top-masts. Having gone on a shooting-party to West Bay, we went to the
place where I left the hogs and fowls; but saw no vestiges of them, nor of
any body having been there since. In our return, having visited the
natives, we got some fish in exchange for trifles which we gave them. As we
were coming away, Mr Forster thought be heard the squeaking of a pig in the
woods, close by their habitations; probably they may have those I left with
them when last here. In the evening we got on board, with about a dozen and
a half of wild fowl, shags, and sea-pies. The sportsmen who had been out in
the woods near the ship were more successful among the small birds.
On the 29th and 30th nothing remarkable happened, except that in the
evening of the latter all the natives left us.
The 31st being a fine pleasant day, our botanists went over to Long Island,
where one of the party saw a large black boar. As it was described to me, I
thought it might be one of those which Captain Furneaux left behind, and
had been brought over to this isle by those who had it in keeping. Since
they did not destroy those hogs when first in their possession, we cannot
suppose they will do it now; so that there is little fear but that this
country will in time be stocked with these animals, both in a wild and
domestic state.
Next day we were visited by a number of strangers who came up from the
sound, and brought with them but little fish. Their chief commodity was
green stone or talc, an article which never came to a bad market; and some
of the largest pieces of it I had ever seen were got this day.
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