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. 332

New Guinea

Augst 1770
Landed upon New Guinea [in margin]

of our way staying upon this Coast whish is so shallow that we can hardly keep within sight of land. at the time we put off from the Ship we saw not the least signs of inhabitants, but we had no sooner landed than we saw the Print of Mens feet fresh upon the sand & a little way farther we found a small Shed or Hutt about which lay green shells of Cocoa Nutts. by this we were well assured that the inhabitants were not far off, nay we thought we heard their Voices in the woods which were so close & thick that we did not think it safe to venture in for fear of an Ambuscade as we had only a Boats crew with us apart of which were left to look after the boat which lay about a ¼ of a Mile from the Shore. we therefore took a Walk upon the Sea beach but had not gone above 200 Yards before we were attack'd by 3 or 4 Men who came out of the woods a little before us, but upon our firing upon them they retir'd. finding that we could not search the Country with any degree of Safety we return'd to the boat & was followed by 60 or as some thought about 100 of the Natives who had advanced in small parties out of the woods, but they suffer'd us to go to our boat without giving us any trouble. we had now time to to view them attentively we thought them to be about the size & Colour of the New Hollanders with short Cropt Hair & quite naked like them. I thought these of a lighter Colour but that may be owing to a whitish Pigment with which we thought their bodies were Painted because some appeared darker than others. their Arms were ordinary darts of about 4 feet long made of a kind of reed & pointed at one end with hard wood, but what appear'd more extraordy. to us was something they had which caused a flash of fire or Smoak very much like the going off of a Pistol or small Gun but without any report. the deception was so great that the People in the Ship actually thought that they had fire Arms indeed they seem'd to use those things in imitation of such for the moment the first man we saw made his appearance he fir'd off one of these things & while we lay looking at them in the boat 4 or 5 would let them off all at once which had all the appearance in the world of Volleys of Small Arms, but I am confident that nothing came from them but smoak, but by what means this was done or what purpose it answer'd we were not able to Guess. I thought the Combustable matter was contain'd in a reed or piece of small Bamboo, which they gave a Swing round in the hand & caused it to go off.
This place lies in the Latde. of 6:15S about 65 Leags. to the NE of Pt. St Augustine or Walsche Caep & is near to what is called in the Charts by the long name of C:de:la Colta de St Bonaventura. the land is very low like every other part of the Coast we have seen here it is thick & Luxuriously cloathed with woods & Verdure all of which appear Green & flourishing; here