daughter were permitted to sit close to him,
to administer to his wants ; no others being
allowed so to do, on account of his taboo.
He was arrayed in a new blanket, which
completely enveloped his figure, leaving exposed
his highly tatooed face, and head profusely
covered with long black curling hair,
adorned with a quantity of white feathers. He
was altogether a very fine study ; and, with his
permission, I made a sketch of him ; and also
one including the whole group. Finding we
were new comers, he asked us a variety of
questions ; and, among others, our opinion of
his country. His remarks were judicious and
sensible, and he seemed much pleased with
our admiration of his territory. I produced
a bottle of wine that I had brought with me,
and his wife supplied him with a few glasses,
which seemed to revive and animate him.
We were then invited to join him in a trip
in one of his canoes, in which was placed a
bed for him to recline upon : his wife seated
herself close to him; while his daughter, a
very pretty interesting girl about fifteen years
of age, took a paddle in her hand, which she
used with the greatest dexterity. I took the
liberty of presenting her with a bracelet, with
which she seemed highly delighted; when
Shunghie, perceiving that I was in a giving
mood, pointed to his beard, and asked me for
a razor. Fortunately I had put one in my
pocket on setting out, and I now presented it
to him, by which gifts we continued on terms
of great sociability and friendship. After a
pleasant cruize with this (to us) extraordinary
family, and contriving to make ourselves
pretty well understood, we returned about
the close of the day, and landed at the bay.
All the natives were much delighted at our
confidence in them, and we were equally
gratified by their hospitality.
I was much amused with the punctilios
used in the visit of ceremony paid to King
George. Shunghie, accompanied by about a
dozen of his chiefs, advanced towards our
settlement, leaving their guns and hatchets
behind them: as they approached, all our
tribe discharged their pieces in the air. When
they met, all rubbed noses (a ceremony never
to be dispensed with on formal occasions).
F 2