Between 11 and 12 oClock we got under sail and took our final leave of this people after a stay of just Three Month, the most part of which time we have been upon good terms with them: some few differences have now and than happen'd, owing partly for _^ ^{to the} want of rightly understanding one another and partly to their natural thievish disposission which we could not at all times, neither bear with or guard against: but these have been attended with no ill concequences to either side except the first in which one of them was kill'd, and this I was very sorry for because from what had happen'd to them by the Dolphin I thought it would have been no hard matter to have got, and kept a footing with them without bloodshed - For some time before we left this Island several of the natives were daily offering themselves to go away with us, and as it was thought they must be of use to us in our futereure discoveries, we resolved to bring away one whose name is Tobia ^Tupia, a Cheif and a Priest: This man had been with us most part of the time we had been upon the Island which gave us an oppertunity to know some thing of him: we found him to be a very intelligent person and to know more of the Geography of the Islands situated in these seas, their produce and the religion laws and customs of the inhabitants than any one we had met with and was the likeliest person to answer our purpose; for these reasons and at the request of M^r Banks I received him on board together with a you[n]g boy his servant —

For the first two months we were at this Island the Natives supply'd us with as much _^ ^Bread fruit Cocoa-nutts &C^a as we could well despence with, and now and then a few Hogs but of these not more than ^hardly sufficient to give the Ships Compney one and some times two fresh meals a Week _^ ^{and as to fowles I did not see above 3 Dzn upon the whole Island and fish they seldom would part with - but} during the last month we got very little refreshment of any sort, the detain[in]g of their canoes broke off trade at that time and it never after was begun again with any spiret. However it was not wholey owing to this but to a scarcity.   the season from bread fruit was wholy over and what other fruits they had was were hardly sufficient for themselves, at least they did not care to part with them. All sorts of fruits we purchased for Beeds and Nails not less than 40^d penny for a nail under that size was of no Value; but we could not get a Hog above 10 or 12 pounds weight for any thing less than a Hatchet  not but that they set great Value upon spike Nails but as this was an article many in the Ship was were provided with the women soon found a much easier way at comeing at them than by bringing provisions. Our trafick with this people was carried on with as much order as in the best regulated market in Europe; it was managed a shore chiefly by M^r Banks who took uncommon pains to procure from the natives every kind of refreshments that was to be got —

Axes, Hatchets, spikes, large Nails, Looking-glasses Knives, and Beeds are all highly valued by this people and nothing more is wanting to trafick with them for every thing they have to dispose off: they are likewise very fond of _^ ^fine Linnen Cloth both white and printed, but an Ax worth half a Crown will fetch more than a peice of Cloth worth twenty shillings —

[Note: at this point in National Library Ms 1, Cook begins his Description of King Georges Island, an edition of which appears on this site. ]

Voyaging Accounts