Island,
where one of the party saw a large black boar. As it was described to me, I
thought it might be one of those which Captain Furneaux left behind, and
had been brought over to this isle by those who had it in keeping. Since
they did not destroy those hogs when first in their possession, we cannot
suppose they will do it now; so that there is little fear but that this
country will in time be stocked with these animals, both in a wild and
domestic state.

1774 November

Next day we were visited by a number of strangers who came up from the
sound, and brought with them but little fish. Their chief commodity was
green stone or talc, an article which never came to a bad market; and some
of the largest pieces of it I had ever seen were got this day.

On the 2d I went over to the east side of the sound, and, without meeting
any thing remarkable, returned on board in the evening, when I learnt that
the same people who visited us the preceding day, had been on board most of
this, with their usual article of trade.

On the 3d, Mr Pickersgill met with some of the natives, who related to him
the story of a ship being lost, and the people being killed; but added,
with great earnestness, it was not done by them.

On the 4th, fine pleasant weather. Most of the natives now retired up the
sound. Indeed, I had taken every gentle method, to oblige them to be gone,
for since these newcomers had been with us, our old friends had
disappeared, and we had been without fish. Having gone over to Long Island,
to look for the hog which had been seen there, I found it to be one of the
sows left by Captain Furneaux; the same that was in the possession of the
natives when we were last here. From the supposition of its being a boar, I
had carried over a sow to leave with him; but on seeing my mistake, brought
her back, as the leaving her there would answer no end.

Early in the morning of the 5th, our old friends made us a visit, and
brought a seasonable supply of fish. At the same time I embarked in the
pinnace, with Messrs Forsters and Sparrman, in order to proceed up the
sound. I was desirous of finding the termination of it; or rather of seeing
if I could find any passage out to sea by the S.E., as I suspected from
some discoveries I had made when first here. In our way up, we met with
some fishers, of whom we made the necessary enquiry; and they all agreed
that there was no passage to the sea by the head of the sound. As we
proceeded,