. 1771* -
November.
"Wednefd. zt
their prowefs, fince they had belonged to the enemies whom
they had killed. It always appeared to us, that they have
no priefts or jugglers of any kind among them, which
accounts for their having fo little fuperftition. When the
comforts-of life are multiplied, it is poffible that fome individuals
may be artful enough to improve upon their
prefent ideas of religion, in order to enjoy exclufive advantages
; for it has often been the fate of mankind, that
the moll facred, and moll ineftimable gift of heaven, has
ferved as a cloak under.cover of which they have been deluded.
Having fitted the ffiip to encounter the rigorous climate
of the fouth, and received on board her proviGon of frelh
water and wood, as well as the bifcuit which had been
baked over again, we re imbarked all the tents from the
Chore, and on the 24th, early in the morning, unmoored and
rode by a Angle anchor. The natives immediately repaired
to the beach which we had left, and finding there a heap
of bread-dull which had been rejected as unfit for ufe at
the revifal of our bifcuit, they fell.to, and confumed it all,
though our hogs had before refufed to touch it. We could
not attribute this proceding to neceffity, becaufe they had
plenty of frelh filh, of which they daily fold us enough for
our confumption. It was rather owing to the diverfity of
their tafte from ours, or to the natural inclination for variety,
which made them eatuhe worll of vegetable food,
becaufe
A VOY AGE ROUND THE WORLD. Sn
becaufe it was a rarity, in preference to filh, which is their „ ,fr3‘
conllant diet. They had another motive for viliting the
place of our late ellablilhment; this was, to pick up any
little trifles, fuch as nails, rags, 8cc, which we might have
left behind. Whilll they were fo employed, ibme others
came from the interior parts of the bay, and offered a great
quantity of their tools and weapons to fell.
In the afternoon, a boat was fent on ffiore to bury a bottle
at the foot of a tree, with a letter for captain Furneaux,
in cafe he fliould come into . the harbour after our
departure. Another boat, with feveral officers, and my
father, went to Indian Cove, where the entrkils of the body
Hill lay on the ground. The war-canoe, in which the expedition
had been made, had a carved head ornamented
with bunches of brown feathers, and a double-forked prong
projefted from it, on which the heart of their flam enemy
was transfixed. Our gentlemen purchafed a quantity of
their prepared hemp or flax, and many filh-hooks, armed
with bone, which, according to the account of the natives
was taken from the human arm.
At four o’clock the next morning, a boat was fent to the rh^ay ,s.
Motu-Aro, in order to take a few cabbages out of our
plantations. My father took that Opportunity of fearching
the Ihore for the laft time, and was fortunate enough to '
find fome plants which We had not feen before. In the
mean while we hove the anchor, fet fail, and took up the
VoL’ L x x * boat