it
Saturday «9*
highly offended. On deck he faw fome of our fervants
folding up linen which .had been hung our to dry, and
immediately feized on a table-cloth ; but this being taken
from him, his paffion was at the higheft pitch, he ftamp-
ed, threatened, then grumbled, or rather grunted awhile*
and at laft became fa fullen that, he would- not fpeak a
word. The impatient, temper of this-nation.never appeared
more diftinftly than in- this boy’s conduct; but at tho
fame time we had room to confider, feeing , the effe&of
ftrong liquors upon him, how fortunate.it was that they,
were ufed to no kind of intoxicating draught, which,
would perhaps ferve to make their temper ftill.more fierce.
and ungovernable than it is at prefent.
About thirty natives furrounded us in feveral canoes the.
next morning, and brought a few of their tools and
weapons to fell, far which they received great quantities of.
our goods in exchange, owing,to-the eagernefs with which-
our crews outbid each other. There were a number of-
women among them, whofe lips were of a blackifh blue
colour, by punftuation* and their cheeks were painted of a
lively red, with a mixture of ruddle and oil. Like thofe
at Dufky Bay, they commonly had flender and bandy legs,
with large knees f defefts which evidently are deducible
from the little exercife they ufe, and their mode of fitting
oofs-legged-and cramped up almoft perpetually in canoes.
Their colour was of a clear brown, between the olive and
mahogany
mahogany hues, their hair jetty black, the faces round, jJ,7” ;
die nofe and lips rather -thick but not .Hat, their black
eyes fometimes lively and not without expreffion; the
whole upper part of their figure was not difproportionate,
amd their aflemblage of features not abfolutely forbidding.
Our crews, who had not converfed With women fince our
departure from the Cape, found thefe ladies very agreeable;
and from the manner in which their advances
were received, it appeared very plainly that chaftity was
not rigoroufly obferved here, and that the fex were far
from being impregnable. However their favours did not
depend upon their own inclination, but the men, as ab-
folute matters, were always to be confulted upon the occa-
fion; if a fpike-nail, or a fliirt, or a fimilar prefent had
been given for their connivance, the lady was at liberty to
make her lover happy, and to etad, if poffible, the tribute
of another prefent for herfelf. Some among them, however,
fubmitted with reluftance to this vile proftitution ;
and,, but for the authority and menaces of the men, would
not have complied with the defires of a fet of people who
could, with unconcern, behold their tears and hear their
complaints. Whether the members of a civilized fociety,
who could a6l fuch a brutal part, or the barbarians who
could force their own women to fubmit to fuch indignity,
deferve the greateft abhorrence, is a queftion not ealily to
be decided. Encouraged by the lucrative nature of this
E e 2 infamous