he strangers were not enemies, but friends; however, all her
endeavours to bring them back were ineffectual, while we remained
with her; but we were no sooner gone from the beach, than we saw
some of them come out of the wood; and as there were two canoes
on the shore belonging to this party, they launched one into the
water, and went away.

We employed this day in going up the south branch which the
governor named Pitt Water, and so much of the day was spent in
examining it, that when we returned down near the place where we
had passed the last night, it was thought too late to proceed
farther; we therefore encamped on the same spot. Our tents were
no sooner up, than we went to visit our young female friend, whom
we found in a little bark hut upon the beach; this hut was the
place in which she and her friends were enjoying themselves, when
the arrival of our boat alarmed them. She was not alone, as
before, but had with her a female child, about two years old, and
as fine a little infant of that age as I ever saw; but upon our
approach (the night being cold and rainy, and the child terrified
exceedingly) she was lying with her elbows and knees on the
ground, covering the child from our sight with her body, or
probably sheltering it from the weather, but I rather think on
account of its fears.

On our speaking to her, she raised herself up, and sat on the
ground with her knees up to her chin, and her heels under her,
and was at that moment, I think, the most miserable spectacle in
the human shape I ever beheld*: the little infant could not be
prevailed on to look up; it lay with its face upon the ground,
and one hand covering its eyes. We supplied her, as before, with
birds, fish, and fuel, and pulled a quantity of grass to make her
a comfortable bed, and covered her little miserable hut so as to
keep out the weather: she was now so reconciled to our frequent
visits, seeing we had nothing in view but her comfort in them,
that when she wanted _baa-do_, or _ma-gra_, which
signifies fish, she would ask for them, and when she did, it was
always supplied her: in the morning we visited her again; the
child had now got so much the better of its fears, that it would
allow us to take hold of its hand; I perceived, that young as it
was, it had lost the two first joints of its little finger, of
the left-hand, the reason or meaning of which we had not yet been
able to learn.

[* See the Vignette in the Title Page.]

We gave