jJ?Y. haviour feeraed to free them from this fufpicion. When
they found us refolved not to barter with them, they retreated
to the fhore towards midnight. We heard them
finging and beating their drums all night, and could ob-
ferve them fometimes dancing ; fo that we concluded they
were of a very chearful difpofition.
Fridiyu. They gave us very little refpite in the morning. At
day-break, they came off in their canoes, and began to call
to us, frequently intermixing the word Tomarr in their
soify fpeeches. Four or five of them came on board the
{hip without any arms : they foon became familiar, and
with the greateft eafe climbed up the fhrouds to the mail-
head. When they came down again, the captain took them
into his cabin, and gave them prefents of medals, ribbons,
nails, and pieces of red baize. They were the moll intelligent
people we had ever met with in the South Seas ; they
underftood our figns and geftures, as if they had been long
acquainted with them, and in a few minutes taught us a
great number of their words, Their language was really
as we had immediately fufpedted, wholly diftiruft from that
general language, of which feveral dialedts are fpokeu at
the Society Ifles, the Marquefas, the Friendly Ifl.es, .the Low
Iflands, Eafter Ifland, and New Zeeland. It was not difficult
to pronounce, but contained more confonants than any
of the dialedts here mentioned. The moft Angular found
was a ffiaking or vibration of together. Thus, for inftance,
fiance, one of our friends was called Mambrrum, and the
other Bonombrrooai. Whatever they, faw, they coveted ;
hut they never repined at a refufal. The looking-glafies
which we gave them were particularly admired, and they
took great pleafure in looking at themfelves ; fo that thefe
ugly people feemed to have more felf-conceit, than the
beautiful nation at Taheitee and the Society Iflands. They
had perforated ears, and a hole in the feptum narium, into
which they put a bit of flick, or two little pieces of white
fefenite or alabafter, which are tied together in an obtufe
angle. On the upper arm they Wore bracelets, very neatly
wrought, of fmall pieces of black and white fhells. Thefe
bracelets fitted fo clofely, that it was plain they had been put
on whilft their owners were young; for at prefent it was
quite impoffible to draw them over the elbow. Their fkins
were: very foft and fmootb, and of a footy or blackifh-
brown colour, which was heightened by black paint in
the face. Their hair was frizzled, and woolly to the
touch, though not of the fofteft. Their beards were frizzled,
but not woolly, and well furnifhed with hair. They had no
punctures on their body, but indeed they could not have been
feen on their black flcin at any confiderable diftance. Mr.
Hodges took an opportunity of drawing their portraits, one
of which has been engraved for captain Cook’s account of
the voyage. It is very charadteriftic o f the nation ; but we
inuft lament, that a defedt in the drawing, has made it ne-
V o l . II. E e ceflary
J'u77l4y-.