Series 03: Joseph Banks - Endeavour journal, 25 August 1768 - 12 July 1771 (vol. 2) - No. 0251
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[Page 251]
247.
April 1770. Botany Bay
the fig leaf.
After dinner the boats were mann'd & we set out from the ship intending to land at the place where we saw these people hoping that as they regarded the ships coming in to the bay so little they would as little regard our landing we were in this however mistaken, for as soon as we aproachd the rocks two of the men came down upon them each armd with a lance of about 10 feet long & a short stick which he seemd to handle as if it was a machine to throw the lance they calld to us very loud in a harsh sounding Language of which neither us or Tupia understood a word shaking their lances & menacing in all appearance resolvd to dispute our landing to the utmost tho they were but two & we 30 or 40 at least in this manner we parleyd with them for about a quarter of an hour they waving to us to be gone we again signing that we wanted water & that we meant them no harm they remaind resolute so a musquet was fird over them the Effect of which was that the Youngest of the two dropd a bundle of lances on the rock at the instant