Series 03: Joseph Banks - Endeavour journal, 25 August 1768 - 12 July 1771 (vol. 2) - No. 0109
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[Page 109]
105.
Decr. 1769. Motuaro
to value it very much and that it was very scarce among them I am inclind to beleive as we have not yet seen among them peices large enough for any use but sticking into the holes of their Ears
in the afternoon we went to a very distant part of the bay the people here were very few all but one old man ran away from us he accompanied us where ever we went & seemd much pleasd with the little presents we made him near where we landed was a little fort built upon a small rock surrounded by the sea at high water & accessible only by a ladder we expressd a desire to go there he said there was his wife but if we would promise to shew practice no indecencies towards her he would accompany us this we most readily did & he was as good as his word the ascent was so difficult that tho there were stepps & a pole we found it dangerous enough when we came up there were in it 3 women who on our first coming cried, but presents soon put them into better humour there were in all only 3 houses but the situation as I have before describd was so steep that the inhabitants of them might easily defend themselves against