people a-
fishing; in the mean time, some of the gentlemen killed a seal, (out of
many that were upon a rock,) which made us a fresh meal.

CHAPTER IV.

_Transactions in Dusky Bay, with an Account of several Interviews with
the Inhabitants._

1773 March

As I did not like the place we had anchored in, I sent Lieutenant
Pickersgill over to the S.E. side of the bay, to search for a better; and I
went myself to the other side, for the same purpose, where I met with an
exceedingly snug harbour, but nothing else worthy of notice. Mr Pickersgill
reported, upon his return, that he had found a good harbour, with every
conveniency. As I liked the situation of this, better than the other of my
own finding, I determined to go there in the morning. The fishing-boat was
very successful; returning with fish sufficient for all hands for supper;
and, in a few hours in the morning, caught as many as served for dinner.
This gave us certain hopes of being plentifully supplied with this article.
Nor did the shores and woods appear less destitute of wild fowl; so that we
hoped to enjoy with ease, what, in our situation, might be called the
luxuries of life. This determined me to stay some time in this bay, in
order to examine it thoroughly; as no one had ever landed before, on any of
the southern parts of this country.

On the 27th, at nine o'clock in the morning, we got under sail with a light
breeze at S.W., and working over to Pickersgill harbour, entered it by a
channel scarcely twice the width of the ship; and in a small creek, moored
head and stern, so near the shore as to reach it with a brow or stage,
which nature had in a manner prepared for us in a large tree, whose end or
top reached our gunwale. Wood, for fuel and other purposes, was here so
convenient, that our yards were locked in the branches of the trees; and,
about 100 yards from our stern, was a fine stream of freshwater. Thus
situated, we began to clear places in the woods, in order to set up the
astronomer's observatory, the forge to repair our iron-work, tents for the
sail-makers and coopers to repair the sails and casks in; to land our empty
casks, to fill water, and to cut down wood for fuel; all of which were
absolutely necessary occupations. We also began to brew beer from the
branches or leaves of a tree, which much resembles the American black-
spruce. From the knowledge I had of this tree, and the similarity it bore
to the spruce, I judged that, with the add