bunch o f plantains, another a yam, a third a cocoa-nut, &c. s
but two men might have carried the whole with eafe. This
prefent was in return for fomething I had given him in the
morning; however, I thought the leaft I could, do now, was
to pay the porters.
After I had difpatched Paowang, I returned to Wha-a-gou
and his friends, who were ftill for detaining me. They
feemed to wait with great impatience for fomething, and to
be unwilling and aflramed to take away the two dogs, without
making me a return. As night was approaching, I
prefled to be gone j with which they complied, and fo we
parted.
The preceding day, Mr. Forfter learnt from the people the
proper name of the ifland, which they call Tanna ; and this
day I learnt from them the names of thofe in the neighbourhood.
The one we touched at laft is called Erromango; the
fmall ifle, which we difcovered the morning we landed here,
Immer; the Table Ifland to theEaft, difcovered at the fame
time, Erronan or Footoona; and an ifland which lies to the S.
E. Annattom. All thefeiflands.are to be feen from Tanna..
They gave us to underftand, in a manner which I thought
admitted of no doubt, that they eat human flefh, and that
circumcifion was pradtifed among® them. They began the:
fubjedl o f eating human flefh, of their own accord, by afking
us if we did; otherwife I fhould never have thought of alking
them fuch a queffion. I have heard people argue, that no
nation could be cannibals, if they had other flefh to eat,.or did
not want food; thus deriving the cuftom from neceflity. The
people of this ifland can be under no fuch neceflity; they
have fine pork and fowls, and plenty o f roots and fruits.
But
But fince we have not actually feen them 1 eat-human flefh, it ‘774- - ' . Augult.
will admit of doubt with fome, whether they are cannibals. —j Tucfday 9,
When I got on board, I learnt that, when the launch was
on the weft fide of the harbour taking in ballaft, one of the
men employed on this work, had fcalded his fingers in taking
a ftone up out. of fome water. This circumftance produced
the difcpvery of feveral hot fprings, at the foot of the
clifF,. and rather below high-water mark.
This day. Mr. Wales, and two or three of the officers, advanced,
a little,: for the firft time, into the ifland. They met
with a fmall draggling village, the inhabitants of which
treated them with great civility ; and the next morning Mr. Wednef. io.
Forfter and his party, and fome others, made another ex-
eurfion inland. They met with feveral fine plantations of
plantains, fugar-canes, yams, &c..; and the natives were
courteous and.civil. Indeed, by this time, the people, efpe-
eially thofe in our neighbourhood, were fo. well reconciled
to us, that they fhewed not the leaft diflike at our rambling,
about in the fkirts of the' woods, fhoodhg, &c. In the afternoon,
fome boys having got behind thickets, and having
thrown two or three ftones at our people who were cutting,
wood, they were fired at by the petty officers prefent on
duty. Being afhore at that time, I was alarmed at hearing
the report of the mufquets, and feeing two or three boys
run out of the wood; When I knew the caufe, I was much
difpleafed at fo wanton an ufe being made of our fire-arms,,
and took meafures to prevent it for the future. Wind,
foutlierly, with heavy fhowers of rain.
During the night, and alfo all the nth, the volcano was
exceedingly troublefome, and made a- terrible- noife, throw- Th“r,a3>
ing up- prodigious columns of fire and fmoke at each explofion,,