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*774
Marc
C H A P . IV.
An Account of Zafier IJIand, and our Stay there.
Sunday 1J. / 'A N the 13th, early in the morning, we ran clofe to
U the fouth point of the ifland, where the fliore rofe
perpendicularly, and confifted of broken rocks, whofe cavernous
appearance, and black or ferruginous colour, feemed
to have been produced by fubterraneous fire. Two detached
rocks lay about a quarter of a miles off this point;
one of them was Angular on account of its fhape, refem-
bling a huge column or obelilk, and both were the habitations
of numerous fea-fowls, which flunned our ears with
their difcordant fcreams. Soon after we opened another
point about ten miles diftant from this, and as we advanced
we perceived the ground gently Hoping to the fea. On the
flope we difcovered feveral plantations by the help of our
glafles; but the furface of the ille in general appeared to
be extremely dreary and parched, and thefe plantations
were fo thinly fcattered upon it, that they did not flatter
our hopes of meeting with confiderable refrelhments.
However, our eyes, long unufed to the enchanting profpeft
of verdure, were conftantly diredled towards the fhore,
where we diftinguiflied a number of people nearly naked,
haftily running down from the hills towards the fea-fide.
We could not perceive that they had any arms, which we
immediately interpreted into a fign of a peaceable difpofi-
tion. In a few minutes we faw them launch a canoe, in.
which two men came off towards us. They were along;
fide in a fhort time, having paddled very brilkly, and immediately
called out for a rope, naming it by the fame,
word as the Taheitians. We had no: fooner thrown them,
the rope, than they tied a great duller of ripe bananas ta
it, making figns for us to haul it up. The fudden emotions
of joy in every countenance, at the fight of this fruit,,
are fcarcely to be defcribed ; they can only be felt in their-
full extent by people in the fame wretched fituation with,
ourfelves at that time. At leaf! fifty perfons endeavoured,
to begin a conver-fation with the people in the canoe, who.
being addreffed by fo many at once, could not anfwer one.
of them. Captain Cook fent for fome ribbands, to which.,
he tied, fome medals and beads, and lowered, them. down,
in return for, their prefent. They feemed to admire:
them much, but haftened alhore with them immediately..
In dropping aftern, they, fattened a fmall piece of cloth to.-
a- fifiling-line which we towed after u s ; it was immediate-;
ly hauled up, and appeared to be made. of. the fame bark as.
the Taheitian cloth, and coloured yellow. From a few-
words which they pronounced, we concluded their language:
to be a dialeft of the Taheitian, which we had now found:
in both,extremities of the South Sea. Their whole appear—
*774-
March,
anc©-: