fhell the fize of a Chilling. Befides this decoration in front,
Lome have it alfo on each fide, but in fmaller pieces ; and all
have fixed to them the tail-feathers of cocks or tropic birds,
■ which, when the fillet is tied on, Hand upright; fo that the
whole together makes a very lightly ornament. They wear
round the neck a kind of ruff or necklace, call it which you
pleafe, made of light wood, the out and upper fide covered
with fmall red peas, which are fixed on with gum. They
alfo wear fmall bunches of human hair, fattened to a firing,
and tied round the legs and arms. Sometimes inftead of hair
they make ufe of fliort feathers; but all the above-mentioned
ornaments are feldom feen on the fame perfon.
I faw only the chief, who came to vifit us, completely
drefled in this manner. Their ordinary ornaments are necklaces
and amulets made of fhells, &c. I did not fee any with
ear-rings; and yet all of them had their ears pierced.
Their dwellings are in the vallies, and on the fides of the
hills, near their plantations. They are built after the fame
manner as at Otaheite; but are much meaner, and only covered
with the leaves of the bread tree. The moft of them
are built on a fquare, or oblong, pavement of ftone, raifed
fome height above the level- of the ground. They likewife
have fuch pavements near their houfes, on which they fit to
eat and amufe themfelves.
In the article of eating, thefe people are, by no means, fo
cleanly as the Otaheiteans. They are likewife dirty in their
cookery. Pork and fowls are drefled in an oven of hot ftones
as at Otaheite ; but fruit and roots they roaft on the fire, and
after taking off the rind or Ikin, put them into a platter or
trough with water, out of which I have feen both men and
hogs eat at the fame time. I once faw them make a batter
of
p s
©f fruit and roots diluted with water, in a veflel that was 1774.
loaded with dirt, and out of which the hogs had been but ■ Ap-"1' ■
that moment eating, without giving it the leaft waftting, or
even wafliing their hands, which were equally dirty; and,
when I exprefied. a diflike, was laughed at. I know not if all
are fo. The adfions of a few individuals are not fufficient
to fix a cuftom on a whole nation. Nor can I fay, if it is the
euftom for men and women to have feparate mefles. I faw
nothing to the contrary; indeed I faw but few women upon
the whole.
They feemed to have dwellings, or ftrong-holds, on the*
fummits of the higheft hills. Thefe we only faw by the
help of our glafies; for I did not permit any of our people
to go there, as we were not fufficiently acquainted with the'
difpofition of the natives,, which (I believe) is humane and
pacific..
Their weapons are clubs and fpears, refembling thofe of
Otaheite, but fomewhat neater. They have alfo flings, with'
which they throw ftones with great velocity, and to a great
diftance, but not with a good aim.
Their canoes are made of wood, and pieces of the bark
of a foft tree, which grows near the fea in great plenty,,
and is very tough and proper for the purpofe. They
are from fixteen to twenty feet long, and about fifteen,
inches broad: the head and ftern are made of two folid
pieces of wood; the ftern rifes or curves a little, but in an;
irregular direction, and ends in a point ;, the head projects-
out horizontally, and is carved into fome faint and very rude-
refemblance of a human face. They are rowed by paddles*,
and fome have a fort of latteen fail.made of matting.
2 H o g s s