1770. was our relation, and we eat only the bodies of our enemies- January. J \ *
'— --- ' who are killed in battle. Upon enquiry who the naan was
Toffday 16. wj10fe bones we had found, they told us, that about five
days before, a boat belonging totheir enemies came into the
bay, with many perfons on board, and' that this man was
one of feven whom they had killed. Though- llronger evidence
of this horrid1 practice prevailing among the inhabitants
of this coaft will fcarcely be required, we have fliil
fironger to give. One of us a iked if they had any human
bones with the flelh remaining upon them, and upon their
anfwering us that all had been eaten, we affedted. to. difbe-
lieve that the bones were human, and faid, that they were
the bones of a dog; upon which one of the Indians with
fome eagernefs took hold of his own fore-arm,.and.thrufting
it towards us, faid,, that the bone which Mr, Banks held in
his hand had belonged to- that part of a human body; at
the fame time, to convince us that the flelh-had; been, eaten,
he took hold o f his own arm with his teeth, and made ihew
of eating: he alfo bit and gnawed the bone which Mr. Banks
had taken, drawing it through his mouth, and ihewing, by
figns, that it had afforded a delicious repail,; the bone was
then returned to Mr. Banks, and he brought it away with
him. Among the perfons of this family, t lie re was a woman
who had her arms, legs, and thighs, frightfully cut in feve-
ral places ; and we were told that ihe had inflicted the
wounds upon herfelf, in token of her grief for the lofs of
her hufband, who had been lately killed and eaten by their
enemies, who had come from fome place to the eaftward,
towards which the Indians pointed.
Wednef. 17. The Ihip lay at the diftance of fomewhat lefs than a quarter
of a mile from the ihore, and in the morning we were
awakened by the finging of the birds : the number was incredible,
and they feemed toftrain their throats in.emulation.
3 of
of each other. This wild melody was infinitely fuperior to 177°-
. January.
any that we had ever heard of the fame kind; it feemed to *— j
' Wednef. 17. be like fmall bells, molt exquifitely tuned, and perhaps the
diflance, and the water between, might be no fmall advantage
to the found. Upon enquiry, we were informed that
the birds here always began to ling about two hours after
midnight; and' continuing their mufic till fun-rife, were,
like our nightingales, filent the reft of the day. In the forenoon,
a fmall' canoe came off from the Indian village to the
fliip, and among thofe that were in it, was the old man who
had firft come on board at our arrival in the bay. As foon
as it came alongfide, Tupia renewed the convcrfation; that
had pafled the day before, concerning their practice o f eating,
human flelh, during which they repeated what, they had
told us already ; but, faid Tupia, where are the heads ? do
you eat them too.’ Of the heads, faid the okl man, we eat
only the brains, and the next time I come-L will bring fome
of them to convince you that what we have told’ you is
truth. After fome farther converfation between thefe people
and Tupia, they told liim that they expected their enemies
to come very fhortly, to revenge the death of the feven men,
whom they had killed and eaten..
On the 18th, the Indians,were more quiet than ufual, no Tturfdayis,
canoe came near the fliip, nor did we fee one of them moving
on the Ihore, their filhing, and other ufual occupations
being totally fufpended. We thought they expedited an
attack on this day, and therefore attended more diligently to
what pafled on Ihore; but we faw nothing to gratify our.
curioftty.
After breakfaft; we went out in the pinnace, to take a -
view of the bay, which was of vaft extent, and confifted of
numberlefs Imall.harbours and coves, in every diredtion; we •
confined