ƒ from all the South Sea dialeCts which we had hitherto
heard, that we could not underhand a Angle word of it. Id
was much harfher than any of them, and the r, s, ch, and
other confonants abounded in it. The people themfelves
differed from any that we had hitherto feen. They were all
remarkably Render, and in general did not exceed five feet
four inches in height. Their limbs were often indifferently
proportioned, their legs and arms long and Rim, their colour
a blackifli brown, and their hair black, frizzled and
woolly. Their features were more extraordinary than all
the reft. They had the flat broad nofe and projecting
cheek-bones of a Negroe, and a very fliort forehead, which
had fometimes an unufual direction, being fomething more
depreffed than in well-formed men. Many of them were
befides this painted with a black colour in the face and
over the breaft, which disfigured them more than their na-
tural uglinefs. A few had a fmall Cap on the head, made
of matted work, but all went ftark naked, and tied a rope
fo faft round their belly, that it made a deep notch. Mod
other nations invent fome kind of covering, from motives
of fharne ; but here a roll of cloth continually fattened to
the belt, rather difplays than conceals, and is the very oppo-
.fite of modefty.
They continued about the fliip, talking with great voci-
deration, ..but at the fame time in fuch a good-humoured
manner, that we were much entertained. We had no
fooner
fooner looked at one of them, that he began to chatter with- jmv.
out referve, and grinned almoft like Milton’s Death.- This
circumftance, together -with their Render form, their ugly
features, and their black colour, often provoked us to make
an ill-natured comparifon between them and monkies. We
fliould be forry, however, to fupply Rouffeau, or the fuper-
ficial philofophers who re-echo his maxims, with the flia- -
dow of an argument in favour of the Orang-outang fyftem.
We rather pity than defpife thefe men, who can fo far forget
and abufe their own intellectual faculties, as to degrade
themfelves to the rank of baboons.
When it was dark the natives returned on Chore, where ‘
they made a number of fires, and were heard fpeaking as
loud among themfelves as they had done to us. About 1
eight, however, they all returned to the fliip in their canoes, .
with burning firebrands, in order to have another conver- ■
fation. On their part they carried it on with furprifing fpi-
rit, but we did not reply with equal volubility.- The evening
was very fine and calm, and the moon fhone out a t ;
times. Seeing that we were not fo talkative as themfelves,
they offered to fell us their arrows and other trifles ; I but
captain Cook prohibited the trade, in order to get rid of
them. We were furprifed with their behaviour, it being
unufual to fee any Indians awake and aCtive about the fhip -
after funfet. Some thought they only came as fpies, to fee
whether we were upon our guard ; but their inoffenfive behaviour