i p Pieces of cloth, and marble paper, were in moft efteem with
1 them; but edge tool's, nails, and beads they Teemed to dif-
Saturday 2j. regar(j The g reateft number of canoes we had along-fide
at once did not exceed eight, and not more than four or five
people in each; who would frequently retire to the Chore
all on a fudden, before they had difpofed o f half their things,
and then others would come off.
At the time we came out of the harbour,- it was about
low water, and great numbers of people were then on the
fhoals or reefs which lie along the fhore, looking, as we
fuppofed, for fliell and other fifli. Thus our being on their.-
eoaft, and in one of their ports, did not hinder them from
following the necefiary employments. By this time they
might be fatisfied we meant them no harm; fo that, had
we made a longer flay, we might foon have been upon good,
terms with this ape-like nation. For, in general, they are the
moft ugly, ill-proportioned people I ever faw, and in .every,
refpeft different from any we had met with in this fea.
They are a very dark-coloured and rather diminutive races,
with long heads, flat faces, and1 monkey countenances.
Their hair moftly black or brown, is ihort and curly; but
not quite fo foft and woolly as that of a negro. Their
beards are very ftrong, crifp, andbufhy, and generally black
and fliort. But what moft adds to their deformity, is a belt
or cord which they wear round thè waift, and tie fo tight-
over the belly, that the fhape of their bodies is not unlike
that of an over-grown pifmire. The men go quite naked,
except a piece of cloth or leaf ufed as a wrapper *.
* The particular manner of applying thé wrapper may be fèen- in. Wafer’s Voyage, who
mentions this Angular cullom as exiffing, though with fome little variation, amongft the' Indians,
of the Ifthmus of Darien.- See Wafer’s Voyage, p, 140.
•We
We faw but few women,and they were not lefs ugly than the
men; their heads, faces, and flroulders are painted red; they -
wearakindofpetticoat;andfomeof them had fomething over at“' >y*3
their fhoulders like a bag, in which they carry their children.
None of them came off to the fhip, and they generally
kept at a diftance when we were on fhore. Their ornaments
are ear-rings made of tortoife-fhell, and bracelets.
A curious one of ' the latter, four or five inches broad,
wrought with thread or cord, and ftudded with fhells, is
worn by them juft above the elbow. Round the right wrift
they wear hogs tufks, bent circular, and rings made of fhells;
and round their left, a round piece of wood, which we
judged was to ward off the bow-ftring. The bridge of the
nofe is pierced, in which they wear a piece of white
ftone, about an inch and an half long,mm and in this fhape As figns of friendfhip they prefent a green
branch, and fprinkle water with the hand over the head.
Their weapons are clubs, fpears, and bows and arrows.
The two former are made of hard or iron-wood. Their
bows are about four feet long, made of a flick fplit down
the middle, and are not circular but in this form
s ------___ ___ . The arrows, which are a fort of reeds,
are fometimes armed with a long and {harp point, made of
the hard wood, and fometimes with a very hard point
made of bpne ; and thefe points are all covered with a fub-
ftan c e which we took for poifon. Indeed, the people them-
felves confirmed our fufpicions, by making figns to us not
to touch the. point, and giving us to underftand that if we
were pricked by them we fliould die. They are very careful
of them themfelves, and keep them always wrapped up in
F 2 a quiver.