22 8
Ju n e .
?773'
two hollow femicylinders of wood, exadtly fitted and
moulded together, fo as to form a perfetft tube. Their
double canoe was about fifty feet long, and feemed to be
new; both the high ftern and the head were very eurioufly
carved with fretwork and fpiral lines, as defcribed, in Capr.
Cook’s former voyage. A mifhapen thing, which with-
fome difficulty we perceived was meant to reprefent a human
head, with a pair of eyes of mother of pearl, and a*
long tongue lolling out of its mouth, conftituted the fore-
moft extremity or prora.oi the canoe. This figure is. the
moft common in all their ornaments, and principally in-
every thing that relates to warlike affairs. The- cuftom of
lolling out the tongue in contempt and defiance of the enemy,
feems to have given rife to the frequent, reprefenta-
tions of i t ; the figure of the tongue forms the heads of
their war-canoes,, it is placed on the narrow extremity of
their battle-axes, and they wear it on their bread:, tied to
a firing round the neck ; nay they carve it' on their very
fcoops with which they bale the water, and on the pad^
dies with which they manage their canoes;
Thefe people made but a very fhort ftay with us, for
feeing it began to blow frefli, they all embarked and pad-
died over to the Motu-Aro. The captain, accompanied by
feveral gentlemen, followed them about noon, and found
feven canoes there hauled on Ihore, which had carried
about ninety perfons to that ifland, who were all bufied
making
2 2 9 ;
making huts for their temporary ffielter. Our people were ntr-
received with every mark of friendfhip, and the captain
diftributed many prefents to them. Among thefe was a
number of brafs medals, gilt, about one inch and three
quarters in diameter, which had been ftruck on purpofe to:
be left as a memorial of this voyage among the nations we
ffiould meet with : on one fide was the head of his prefenc
majefty, with the infcription, g e o r g e m . k i n g o f g r e a t
B r i t a i n , F r a n c e , a n d I r e l a n d , &c. On the .reverfe,:
the reprefentation of two men of war,, with the names.
r e s o l u t i o n and a d v e n t u r e over them; and the exergue
S A ILED FROM E N G L A N D MAR CH MDCCL X X I I
Some of thefe medals had already been given to the
natives of Dufky Bay, and thofe of Queen Charlotte’s.
Sound. In exchange for iron, cloth, and beads, our people
collected a great number of arms, tools, dreffes, and
ornaments, as curiofities among them, they having greater,
quantities of thefe things than any New Zeelanders we had
feen. The captain and his company perceived that Teiratu.
feemed to be the principal or chief among them, by a.
certain degree of regard which the reft paid to him : they-
could not, however, determine any thing with precifion
on this fubject. Refpedt is always paid to the old men.
among them, who may' be fuppofed to owe their confe-.-
quence to the long experience they have gained; But their:
* It was originally intended that the Hoops ihould fail fo.early as March..
chiefs;,