A VOY Si>6 A G E ' R O U N D T H E WO R L D .
March, reader of thofe caverns: mentioned before,, to which the natives
always refufed to admit us. The caverns of Iceland"
are fpacious enough to contain feveral-thoufand inhabitants;,
and nothing is more probable than that, in a Cmilar volcanic
country, fuch caverns may. afford room for a few
hundreds. What reafons the Eafter Iflanders may have to-
be more jealous of their women than the Taheirians, we-
know not; but we are acquainted with the outrageous and
wanton behaviour of the failor, wherever he has fo great a;
fuperiority over the Indian, as the Dutch and Spaniards muft
have had over the people of Eafter Ifland. The principal
objection againft this fuppolition is, however, the fmall nu,m-
ber of children which we faw, there being no reafon to fe-
elude them from our eyes, whatever might be thought ne-
celfary with regard to the women. In fhort, this matter
muft remain unafeertained, and if, in fact, the number o f
women is inconfiderable, it muft have been diminifhed by
fome extraordinary accident, which none but the natives-
could have explained ; but, in all our doubts, our ignorance
of their language prevented us from acquiring any information.
The next morning we fent -a boat afhore to take in fome
water, and the weather continuing calm, another went off
to trade with the natives in order to encreafe our little flock
of potatoes. One of the natives likewife plied between the
fhip
A- V O Y A G E ROUND THE WORLD.
fhip and the fhore, bringing off potatoes and bananas in
the patched canoe. In the mean while a fmart fhower
falling on board the fhip, enabled our people to collect a
quantity of frefh water in the awnings and fails of the fhip,
which were fpread to catch it. Another boat went off to
the fhore in the afternoon, but towards evening a faint
breeze fpringing up, the fhip fired a gun, in confequence
of which the boat came on board, and we failed N. W. by
W. from Eafter Ifland.
We had been greatly difappointed in the expectation
which we had formed of this ifland, as a place of refrefh-
ment. The only article of any importance was their fweet
potatoes ; but after we had regularly fhared out all we had
purchafed, the common people had only a few fcanty meals
of them. As to the bananas, yams, and fugar-canes which
we had bought, they were in fuch inconfiderable quantities,
that they fcarce deferve to be mentioned. All the fowls
which we had obtained, and which, in general, were of a
very fmall breed, did not amount to fifty ; and even the
quantity of water which we had filled was inconfiderable
and ill tailed. However, this fmall fupply was fo feafon-
able, that it preferved us from the too violent attacks of
the feurvy and bilious diforders, till we could reach a better
place of refrefhment. Indeed, when I confider the wretched
fituation of the inhabitants, I am furprifed that they
parted
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