34 ^
jlvJ?st men intended to confer upon us, ran off to a great diftance
feemingly much frightened, and {hocked at their indelicacy..
Our Indians, and particularly the young people, were
very defirous that we {Should purfue the girls, whether only
to frighten them or not, we could not afcertain. However,.
they feemed to be very well pleafed, that we did not take
the hint ; and we parted from them, after diftributing fevera
1 prefents, and efpecialiy fome mother of pearl hooks
o
with tortoife-fhell barbs.
Friday .9. The next morning we were ready for failing,, having taken.
in a fufficient quantity of ballaft, wood, and frefh-water 5,
only the wind, which blew right into- the harbour, prevented
our putting to fea .. We went on fhore after break—
faft, with the captain, and a party of people ; and he continued
to trade with the natives, whilft we went into the.
country. We foon feparated, and each of us. went by-
himfelf to- a different part, I paffed by a number of natives
in their way to the beach ; but they all ftepped.
out of the path to-make room for me, though I was without
any companion,, and not one of them attempted with,
a look or gefture to offend me. I ftrolled alone feveral.
miles in the back of the flat hill,, or in the valley along,
its fouth-fide, to a part where I had never been before.. The.
-path which I followed was hid in the thickeft groves, from.
whence I could only now and then difcern the extenfive
plantations which covered the whole flope of the hill. Here
I fre-
I frequently faw the natives employed in cutting down
trees, or pruning them, or digging up the ground with a
branch of a tree, inftead of a fpade, or planting yams, and
other roots ; and in one place, I heard a man finging at his
work, nearly the fame tune which they ufed to fing to us
on the hill. The profpeiSt which I beheld was fo pleating,
that it did not fall much fliort of the beautiful fcenes of
Taheitee. It had this advantage befides, that all the country
about me to a great diftance, confifted of gentle elevations,
and fpacious vallies, all which were capable of culture ;
.whereas at Taheitee the mountains rofe immediately craggy,
wild, and majeftic from the plain, which has no where the
breadth of two miles. The plantations at Tanna confift,
for the greateft part of yams, bananas, eddoes, and fugar-
canes, all which being very low •*, permit the eye to take
in a great extent of country. Single tufted trees rife in different
places, and amufe the beholder with.a variety of romantic
forms. The whole fummit of the level hill which
bounds a part of the horizon, appears Ihaggy with little
groves, where a number of lofty palms rife over the reft
of the trees.
Thofe who are capable of being delighted with the beauties
of nature, which deck the globe for the gratification of
man, may conceive the pleafure which is derived from
* The tailed banana tree does not exceed ten feet, and in general they are
.about-fix feet high,
Y y 2 ' -every
m*.
A ugust.