Series 03: Joseph Banks - Endeavour journal, 25 August 1768 - 12 July 1771 (vol. 2) - No. 0420
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[Page 420]
316.
New Guinea
nearer us all the while we waded to her they continued however with their fire to defy us & shouted very loud when we were embarked & afloat we rowd towards them & fird some musquets over their heads into the trees on which they walkd gradualy off continuing to throw abundance of their fires (whatever they migh be designed for) we guessd their numbers to be about 100 after we had lookd at them & their behaviour as long as we chose we returnd to the ship where our freinds had sufferd much anziety for our sakes imagining that the fires thrown by the Indians were real musquets so much did they resemble the fire &smoak made by the firing of one
The place where we landed we judgd to be near Cabo de la Colta de Santa Bonaventura as it is calld in the French charts about 9 or 10 lgs to the Southward of Keer Weer we were not ashore upon the whole more than two hours so can not be expected to have made many observations
The Soil had all the appearance of the highest fertily but was coverd with a prodigious quantity of trees which seemd to thrive luxuriantly