of birds feeding, which, from their form, and the uncommon beauty of
their plumage, we called painted geese. We walked more than twelve
miles, and found great plenty of fine fresh water, but not the bay that
we sought; for we saw no part of the shore, in all our walk from Sandy
Point, where a boat could land without the utmost hazard, the water
being very shoal, and the sea breaking very high. We fell in with a
great number of the huts or wigwams of the Indians, which appeared to
have been very lately deserted, for in some of them the fires which they
had kindled were scarcely extinguished; they were in little recesses of
the woods, and always close to fresh water. In many places we found
plenty of wild celery, and a variety of plants, which probably would be
of great benefit to seamen after a long voyage. In the evening we walked
back again, and found the ships at anchor in Sandy Point Bay, at the
distance of about half a mile from the shore. The keen air of this place
made our people so voraciously hungry that they could have eaten three
times their allowance; I was therefore very glad to find some of them
employed in hauling the seine, and others on shore with their guns;
sixty very large mullets were just taken with the seine as I came up;
and the gunners had good sport, for the place abounded with geese,
teale, snipes, and other birds, that were excellent food.

[Footnote 22: "We sent the boat to sound between Elizabeth's and St
Bartholomew's Islands, and found it a very good channel, with very deep
water. On this occasion we saw a number of Indians, that hallooed to us
from Elizabeth's Island. Both the men and the women were of the middle
size, well-made, and with smooth black hair; they appear to be of an
olive-coloured complexion, but rendered more red than they are
naturally, by rubbing a red earth mixed with grease all over their
bodies. They are very active and swift of foot," &c.]