On the 18th, Lieutenant Cook went out in the pinnace to take a view of the bay in which the ship was now at anchor; and found it to be of great extent, consisting of numberless small harbours and coves, in every direction. The lieutenant confined his excursion to the western side, and the coast where he landed being an impenetrable forest, nothing could be seen worthy of notice. As our commander and his friends were returning, they saw a single man in a canoe fishing: rowing up to him, to their great surprise, he took not the least notice of them; and even when they were alongside of him, continued to follow his occupation, without adverting to them any more than if they had been invisible. This behaviour was not, however the result either of sullenness or stupidity; for upon being requested to draw up his net, that it might be examined, he readily complied. He shewed likewise to our people his mode of fishing, which was simple and ingenious.
When, on the 19th, the armourer's forge was set up, and all hands on board were busy in careening, and in other necessary operations about the vessel, some Indians, who had brought plenty of fish, exchanged them for nails, of which they had now begun to perceive the use and value. This may be considered as one instance in which they were enlightened and benefited by their intercourse with our navigators.
While, on the 22d, Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander employed themselves in botanizing near the beach, our commander, taking a seaman with him, ascended one of the hills of the country. Upon reaching its summit, he found the view of the inlet, the head of which he had a little before in vain attempted to discover in the pinnace, intercepted by hills still higher than that on which he stood, and which were rendered inaccessible by impenetrable woods. He was, however, amply rewarded for his labour; for he saw the sea on the eastern side of the country, and a passage leading from it to that on the west, a little to the eastward of the entrance of the inlet where the ship lay. The main land, which was on the south-east side of this inlet, appeared to be a narrow ridge of very high hills, and to form part of the south-west side of the strait. On the opposite side, the land trended away east as far as the eye could reach; and to the south-east there was discerned an opening to the sea, which washes the eastern coast. The lieutenant saw also, on the east side of the inlet, some islands which he had before taken to be part of the main land. In returning to the ship, he examined the harbours and coves that lie behind the islands which he had seen from the hills. The next day was employed by him in further surveys and discoveries.