James Cook - A Journal of the proceedings of His Majesty's Bark Endeavour on a voyage round the world, by Lieutenant James Cook, Commander, commencing the 25th of May 1768 - 23 Oct. 1770: No. 176
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[Page 176]
New Zealand
November little or no Wind, during this time several Canoes came off to the Ship & 2 or 3 of them sold us some fish, Cavellys are they are called, which occasioned my giving the Islands the same name,after this some others began to pelt us with stones & would not desist at the firing of two Musquet Balls thro' one of their Boats, at last I was obliged to pepper two or of the three fellows with small shott after which they retired & the wind coming at NWt we stood off to Sea, at Noon Cavelly Islands bore SWbS distt 4 Miles Cape Brett SE distt 7 Leags & the Westermt land in Sight making like Islands bore WbN. Latde in p[er] Obsn 34:55 So
Tuesday 28th A Fresh breeze from the Westward all this day which being right in our Teeth we kept beating to winward with all the sail we could Crowd but instead of Gaining we lost ground AM being close in with the land to the Westwd of the Bay which lies on this side of Cape Brett, we saw at some distance inland 2 Pretty large Villages and pallisaded in the Same manner as others we have seen, at Noon C. Bret SEbE½E Diste 6 Leagues. Latitude observed35:0 So.
Wednesday 29th Fresh Gl at NWt & WNWt Keept plying to Windward untill 7AM & finding that we lost ground every board we made, I thought I could not do better then to bear up for the Bay which lies to the Westwd of C Bret it being at this Time not above 2 Leags to Leeward of us, for by putting in there we should gain some Knowledge of the Contrary by keeping the Sea with a Contrary wind, we were sure of meeting with nothing new.
These reasons induced me to bear away for the Bay & at 11 o'Clock we Anchord under the SWt side of one of the many Islands that line the SEt side of it in 4½ fam; but as we fell into this shoald water all at once, we Anchord sooner then was intended & sent the Master with 2 boats to sound who soon found that we had got upon a Bank that spited off from the NW end of the Island & that on the outside of it was 8 & 10 fam Water.
Thursday 30th PM. had the winds Westerly with some very heavy Showers of Rain, we had no sooner come to an Anchor than between 3 &400 of the Natives Assembled in their Canoes about the Ship some few where admitted on board & to one of the Chiefs I gave a piece of Broad Cloth & distributed a few Nails etc among some others of them,many of these People had been off to the Ship when we were at Sea & seem'd to be very sencible of the use of Fire Arms & in the little Trade we had with them they behaved tolerable well but continued so, not long before some of them wanted to take away the Buoy & would not desist at the firing of several Musquets untill one of