At Half-Past Ten The Lady Nelson Anchored
In This Cove In Four Fathoms Water, Fine Sandy Bottom, Having Run Over A
Shallow Some Four Cables' Length Which Was Easily Distinguished By The
Colour Of The Water.
The native who came on board was a middle-aged man,
stout and muscular, who showed no symptoms of fear.
It was evident that
he had seen white men before and he often repeated the words "blanket"
and "woman."
Grant tells us that he was much surprised at several articles on board
particularly the compasses in the binnacle. "On my conducting him down
into the cabin and placing him before a looking-glass he expressed wonder
by innumerable gestures, attitudes and grimaces. He narrowly examined it
to see if any one was behind it; and he did not seem satisfied till I
unscrewed it from the place it was fastened to. The sound of a small
bugle horn had a very great effect on him, and he endeavoured, by
applying it to his own mouth, to make it sound, but without effect...This
stranger whom I had placed near the natives of Sydney, sat by them,
without saying a word, for about half an hour, soon after the expiration
of which time, great familiarity took place betwixt them. It appeared
evident to me that...the stranger's attention was directed to the woman,
though like the rest of her countrywomen, she was, according to our
notions, far from being possessed of any beauty: however, not only this
man, but many other natives who visited us at this place, thought her
very handsome; nor was I surprised at this when I saw some of the females
here...It appeared as if they did not readily understand each other...
"Before we got to an anchor several canoes came round us, in one of which
was an old man whose hair had become perfectly white with age, which,
joined to his long white beard, made him a very interesting figure. The
natives appeared to pay the old man great respect and obedience of which
I saw more afterwards...I admitted some of the natives on board but the
old man could not be prevailed on to be of the party. They all testified
much surprise at what they saw."
The natives of Jervis Bay seemed to be stronger and more athletic than
those at Sydney, and in the management of their canoes - they differed
from any Grant had ever seen, "particularly in paddling, sometimes making
use of an oval piece of bark, and at others, of their hands, sending the
canoe along very swiftly by either means. When paddling with the hand
they were apt to throw more or less water into the canoe, which, with a
small calabash, they dexterously threw out by a backward motion of the
other hand without turning their heads." At one end of their canoes he
observed two or three wooden pins which he thought were designed to
steady their fish-gigs or to receive the heads of their spears.
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