f l i p monfter, juftly detefted by all mankind; but another, entirely
incapable of anger, is a flieepilh wretch, liable to be
infulted by every mean-fpirited villain. A nation, or I
may fay a family, (as favages feldom live in greater communities],
which has been frequently expofed to the attacks
and infults of others, naturally contracts a degree of hatred
and inveteracy againft its oppreflbrs, which renders its revenge
more furious, unbounded, and, in our eyes, more
cruel. If the enemy have ufed treacherous arts, they create
diftruft, and in the end form a malevolent difpofition,
which foon has recourfeto the fame bafenefs. : At the leaft
fhadow of an injury they are up in arms, and threaten to
bear down all before them! when they are aftually provoked,
they are ruled by no other law but that of the
ftrongeft, and exterminate their foes with a degree of fury,
which is capable of the moft horrid excefles *. On the contrary,
a nation, which has not experienced, or has long loft
the remembrance of mifchievous enemies, and inveterate
broils, which, by applying to agriculture, has arrived to a
degree of opulence, luxury, and civilization, and acquired
new and refined ideas of philanthropy, is unaccuftomed to
the hidden overflowings of the bile, and flow to refent an
affront f . The natives of Tanna doubtlefs are engaged,
either in civil feuds with each other, or in frequent wars
* See vol.'I. p. 173. t Ibid. p. 311.
with
with the adjacent iflanders; their referved and diftruftful
behaviour towards us at full, and their cuftom of going
conftantly armed, Teems clearly to prove the truth of; this
afiertion. W e have therefore, I think, great room to believe,
that the violence of refentrnent has infenfibly led
them to the cuftom of eating human flefh, which they
pradtife according to their own confeflion. But we muft
ftill remain utterly ignorant of the r e a fo n s which induced
them to prohibit our accefs towards the eaftern point of the
harbour.
We turned back with our Indians, to their great joy
and fatisfadfion. They led us on by a path which we
had never' trodden before, through a variety of the
richeft plantations, kept in excellent order. The boys
ran before u s , . and gave us repeated marks of their
fkill in warlike exercifes. They flung a ftone with great
accuracy, and made ufe of a green reed, or ftiff grafs, in
lieu of a dart. They had attained to fuch perfeftion in
throwing the latter, that they never failed to hit their object,
and knew to give the reed, which-every breath of air might
turn out of its 'way, lo much force and moment, that it
entered above an inch into the hardeft wood. They poifed
it between the loweft joint of. the thumb, and the hand,
without touching it with a Angle .finger. The youngeft
among them, five or fix years old, already habituated them-
felves to this exercife, and thus prepared one day, to wield
their.
*774'
A ugust.