,J774* A pril. pofing ourfelves once more to the fame danger in taking
him in.
Dr. Sparrman ftaid on board with me in the afternoon,
defcribing and drawing fome plants which we had collected
in the morning ; but my father returned afhore with the
captain to the fouthern beach, where he found feveral habitations
near the fea, but faw no women. This was the
fame beach to which the natives had carried the dead body
of their countryman. They were condudted to a houfe,
which had been that unfortunate man’s dwelling, and faw
federal hogs there, now the property of his fon, a youth of
fifteen years, to whom they made feveral expiatory pre-
fents. Our people enquired for his female relations, but
were told they remained on ahe top of the mountain, to
weep and mourn for the dead. We had fome reafon to
fufpett, from this account, that the pallifades or enclofures
along the top o f the rock, furrounded the burying-places
of the inhabitants. The captain purchafed a quantity of
fruit, and feveral hogs, at this beach ; and though he was
in the midft of the relations of a man whom our people
had killed, he did not perceive the leaft animofity or fpirit
of revenge amongft them.
The next morning Dr. Sparrman went on fhore with me
to the watering place, where the trade for provifions was very
confiderable. Our iron ware was however lowered in value
at leaft two hundred per cent, iince our anchorage in
the
23
the harbour. Our fmall nails, which they had eagerly
taken at firft, were now no longer current; and even the
large ones were not much coveted. Beads were not
efteemed at a l l ; but ribbons, cloth, and other trifles were
more agreeable. Some large hogs were purchafed for
pieces of the mulberry-bark, covered with red feathers,
which we had obtained at the ifland of Amfterdam or Tonga-
Tabboo.
The weather was exceedingly hot this day, for which reafon
many of the inhabitants made ufe of large fans to cool
themfelves. Thefe fans, of which they fold us a great
number, were formed of a kind of tough bark or grafs,
very firmly and curioufly plaited, and frequently whitened
with fhell-lime. Some alfo had large feathered leaves*
which anfwered the purpofe of an umbrella, and upon
examination, were found to belong to the corypha umbraculi-
fera, Linn, a kind of palm. The fans are reprefented on a
reduced fcale on the fame plate, with the head-drefles of
thefe people, and inferted in captain Cook’s account of this
voyage.
Notwithstanding the immenfe heat o f the day, we re-
folved to afcend the mountain, in hopes of being well rewarded
for the trouble, by the difcoveries we fhould make.
The pallifades at the top were particularly what we aimed!
at, none of our people having hitherto any idea of them..
Mr. Patton and two other gentlemen were of the party. We
foon