Joseph Banks - Endeavour Journal, 25 August 1768 - 12 July 1771 - No. 0386
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[Page 386[
Oheteroa
sat down upon the shore & sent two of their number forwards who after walking sometime abreast of us leap'd into the water intending to swim to us but were soon left behind two more then atempted the same thing and were in like manner left behind a single man then ran forwards & taking good start of the boat fetchd her easily but when he was alongside I could not persuade the officer of the boat to take him notwisthstanding it was so fair an opportunity of making freinds with a people who certainly lookd upon us as their enemies he was therefore left behind as was another who followd his example
We now came round a point where all our followers left us We had opend a large bay at the bottom of which we saw another body of men armd like the former here we hopd to land & pushd towards the place The natives had pushd off a canoe which came out to meet us as soon as it aproachd us we lay upon our oars & calld to them that we were freinds & would give them nails if they would come to us they after a very little hesitation came up to the boats stern & took the nails that were given them seemingly with great satisfaction but in less than a minute seemd to have formd a design of boarding our boat & taking her in pursuance of which 3 leapd almost in an instant into our boat & the others brought up the canoe which had flown off a little intending probably to follow their countrey mens example. The first who came in the boat was close