ning of the 29th was ushered in with a dead calm, which continued
all day, and effectually prevented our sailing. I therefore sent a
party over to the E. point of the bay to cut grass, having been informed
that some of a superior quality grew there. Another party, to cut wood,
was ordered to go to the usual place, and I accompanied them myself. We
had observed several of the natives this morning sauntering along the
shore, which assured us, that though their consternation had made them
leave us so abruptly the day before, they were convinced that we
intended them no mischief, and were desirous of renewing the
intercourse. It was natural that I should wish to be present on the
occasion.

We had not been long landed, before about twenty of them, men and boys,
joined us, without expressing the least sign of fear or distrust. There
was one of this company conspicuously deformed, and who was not more
distinguishable by the hump upon his back, than by the drollery of his
gestures, and the seeming humour of his speeches, which he was very fond
of exhibiting, as we supposed, for our entertainment. But,
unfortunately, we could not understand him; the language spoken here
being wholly unintelligible to us. It appeared to me to be different
from that spoken by the inhabitants of the more northern parts of this
country, whom I met with in my first voyage; which is not extraordinary,
since those we now saw, and those we then visited, differ in many other
respects.[130] Nor did they seem to be such miserable wretches as the
natives whom Dampier mentions to have seen on its western coast.[131]

[Footnote 130: The most striking difference seems to be with regard to
the texture of the hair. The natives whom Captain Cook met with at
Endeavour River in 1769, are said, by him, to have "naturally long and
black hair, though it be universally cropped short. In general it is
straight, but sometimes it has a slight curl. We saw none that was not
matted and filthy. Their beards were of the same colour with the hair,
and bushy and thick."

It may be necessary to mention here, on the authority of Captain King,
that Captain Cook was very unwilling to allow that the hair of the
natives now met with in Adventure Bay was _woolly_, fancying that his
people, who first observed this, had been deceived, from its being
clotted with grease and red ochre. But Captain King prevailed upon him
afterward to examine carefully the hair of the boys, which was
g