M>a7r7+c-h; About an hundred natives, and among them four or five
women, accompanied us on our march, and fold us a
quantity of potatoes and a few fowls, which we added to
our flock of provifions. We found the whole country
ftrewed with ftones of various fizes, of a cavernous or
fpongy texture, and of a black, brown, or reddifti colour,
which had indubitable marks of having been in a volcanic
fire. The paths through this rugged ground are in fome
meafuTe cleared of the ftones, but fo very narrow, that we
were obliged to turn our toes inwards, at which the natives
are perfectly expert, and to fet one foot exactly before the
other. This mode of walking was exceffively fatiguing to
us who were not ufed to it, fo that we continually hurt our
feet or Humbled. On both fides the ground was covered
with a thin perennial Jamaica-grafs, (pafpalum,) which grew
in bunches or tufts, and was fo flippery that we. could not
walk on it. We reached the eaft fide of the ifland, near a;
range of feven pillars or ftatues, of which only four re-*
mained {landing, and one of them had loft its cap. They
flood on a common pedeftal, like thofe which we had feen
on the other fide, and its ftones were fquare and fitted ex-
aftly in the lame manner. Though the ftone of which
the ftatue itfelf is formed feems to be foft enough;
being nothing but the red tufa which covers the whole
ifland, yet it was incomprehenfible to me how fuch great
maffes could be formed by a fet of people among whom
we
we faw no tools ; or raifed and erected by them without
machinery. The general appellation of this range was
Hanga T ebow ; hanga being the word which they prefix to
every range. The names of the ftatues were Ko*-cfmoai',
Ko-fomoeeree, Ko-Hoo-oo, Moraheena, Oomareeva, Weenaboo, JVeenape.
“ From hence we continued our march to the northward
along the lea, having a precipice on our right. The
ground was the fame ferrugineous tufa for a conliderable
way, covered with fmall fragments ■, but after fome time
we came to a fpot which was a fingle coherent rock or
lump of black melted lava, which appeared to contain fome
iron. There was no foil, grafs, or plant whatlbever upon
it. Beyond it we palled through a number of plantations
of bananas, potatoes, and yams, and one of eddoes. The
giafs between the ftones was plucked up and fpread on the
land, to fcreen it from the fun, to keep the moifture of the
rain in it, and at laft to manure it.
“ The natives continued to offer fome potatoes for fale
ready dreffed, and, at a hut where we halted, they fold us
fome filh. Some of them carried arms, which were no
other than the thin flicks we had feen before, and which
were headed with a black vitreous lava, carefully wrapped
in a fmall piece of cloth. Only one of them had a battle-
axe, refembling that of the New Zeelanders, though much
Ihorter. It had a head carved on each fide, and a fmall
* Jlo is the article, as at New Zeeland and in the Friendly files.
. 4 ^ 8 round