A VOYAGE TOWARDS p ! | THE SOUTH POLE,
'774- we ought not to look upon this as one of their cufloms ; be-
■ _« caufe few dogs die a natural death, being generally, if not
Thurfday z6. a i w a y S> billed, and eaten, or elfe given as an offering to the
gods. Probably this might be a Marai or altar, where this
fort of offering was made ; or it might have been the whim
of fome perfon to have buried his favourite dog in this
manner. But he it as it will, I cannot think it is a general
cuflom in the nation ; and, for my own part, I neither faw
nor heard of any fuch thing before.
ij. Early in the morning of the 37th, Oreo, his wife, fon,
daughter, and feveral more of his friends, made us a vifit,
and brought with them a good quantity of all manner of
refrefliments; little having as yet been got from any body
elfe. They Raid dinner; after which a party of us accompanied
them on fhore, where we were entertained with a
play, called Mididij Harramy, which fignifies the Child is
coming. It concluded with the reprefentation of a woman in
labour, a died by a fet of great brawny fellows, one of whom
at lafl brought forth a firapping boy, about fix feet high,
who ran about the Rage, dragging after him a large wifp
of flraw which hung by a firing from his middle. I had
an opportunity of feeing this adted another time, when I
obferved, that the moment they had got hold of the fellow
who reprefented the child, they flattened or prefled his nofe.
From this I judged, that they do fo by their children when
born, which may be the reafon why all in general have flat
nofes. This part of the play, from its newnefs, and the
ludicrous manner in which it was performed, gave us, the
firfl time we faw it, fome entertainment, and caufed a loud
laugh, which might be the reafon why they adted it fo often
afterwards. But this, like all their other pieces, could entertain
AND ROUND THE WORLD.
tertain us no more than once ; efpecially as we could gather
little from them, for want of knowing more of their language.
The 28th was fpent by me in much the fame manner as Saturday 28,
the preceding day, viz. in entertaining my friends, and being
entertained by them. Mr. Forfler and his party in the
country botanizing.
Next morning, we found feveral articles had been Rolen Sunday 23,.
out of our boats lying at the buoy, about fixty or feventy
yards from the fhip. As foon as I was informed of it, I
went to the chief to acquaint him therewith. I found that
he not only knew they were Rolen, but by whom, and where
they were; and he went immediately with me in my boat
in purfuit of them. After proceeding a good way along-
fhore, towards the fouth end of the ifland, the chief ordered
us to land near fome houfes, where we did not wait long;
before all the articles were brought to us, except the pinnace’s
iron tiller,- which I was told was Rill farther off. But when'
I wanted to go after it, I found the chief unwilling to proceed
; and he actually gave me the flip, and retired into the
country. Without him I knew I could do nothing. The-
people began to be alarmed when they faw I was for going;
farther; by which I concluded that the tiller was out of
their reach alfo. I, therefore, fent one of them to the chief
to defire him to return. He returned accordingly j when we:
fat down, and had fome victuals fet before us j thinking;
perhaps that, as I had not breakfafled, I muR be hungry,,
and net in a good humour.. Thus I was amufed till two*
hogs were produced, which they intreated me to accept.
This I did, and then their fears vaniflied; and I thought'
xtiyfelf not ill off in having ,gotten.two good hogs for a thing;
isfliieiau