from the dart the inftant its velocity becomes greater than
that of the hand, but it remains on the finger ready to be
ufed again. With darts they kill both birds and fifti, and are
fure of hitting ajnark, within the compafs of the crown of a
hat, at the diftance o f eight or ten yards; but, at double that
diftance, it is chance if they hit a mark the fize of a man’s
body, though they will throw the weapon fixty or feventy
yards. They always throw with all their might, let the
diftance be what it will. Darts, bows and arrows are to them
what mufquets are to us. The arrows are made of reeds
pointed with hard wood: fome are bearded and fome not,
and thofe for fhooting birds have two, three, and fometimes.
four points. The ftones they ufe are, in general, the branches
of coral rocks from eight to fourteen inches long, and from an
inch to an inch-and-half in diameter. I know not i f they employ
them as miffive weapons; almoft every cine of them
carries a club, and befides that, either darts, or a bow and
arrows, but never both: thofe who had ftones kept them
generally in their belts.
I cannot conclude this account o f their arms without adding
an entire paflage out of Mr. Wales's journal. As this
gentleman was continually on fhore amongft them, he had
a better opportunity of feeing what they could perform,
than any of us. The paflage is as follows: “ I mull con-
“ fefs I have been often led to think the feats which Homer
“ reprefents his heroes as performing with their fpears, a
« little too much of the marvellous to be admitted into an
“ heroic poem; I mean when confined within the ftrait
“ flays of Ariftotle; Nay, even fo great an advocate for him
“ as Mr. Pope, acknowledges them to be furprifing. But
“ fince I have feen what thefe people can do with their
“ wooden
« wooden fpears, and them badly pointed, and not of a
“ very hard nature, I have not the leaft exception to any one t— ,—
« paflage in that great poet on this account. But, if I fee
“ fewer exceptions, I can find infinitely more beauties in
“ him; as he has, I think, fcarce an aftion, circumftance,
“ or defcription of any kind whatever, relating to a fpear,
“ which I have not feen and recognifed among thefe people;
“ as their whirling motion, and whiftling noife, as they fly ;
“ their quivering motion, as they flick in the ground when
“ they fa ll; their meditating their aim, when they are going
“ to throw; and their ihaking them in their hand as they go
“ along, &c. &c.”
I know no more of their cookery, than that it confifts of
roafting and baking; for they have no veflel in which water
can be boiled. Nor do 1 know that they have any other liquor
but water and the juice of the cocoa-nut.
We are utter ftrangers to their religion; and but little acquainted
with their government. They feem to have chiefs
among them; at leaft fome were pointed out to us by that
title; but, as I before obferved, they appeared to have very
little authority over the reft of the people. Old Geogy was
the only one the people were ever feen to take the leaft notice
of;' but whether this was owing to high rank or old age, I
cannot fay. On feveral occafions I have feen the old men
refpedled and obeyed. Our friend Paowang was fo; and yet
1 never heard him called chief, and have many reafons to
believe that he had not a right to any more authority than
many of his neighbours, and few, if any, were bound to
obey him, or any other perfon in our neighbourhood; for
if there had been fuch a one, we certainly fliould, by fome
means, have known it. I named the harbour Port Refolu-
M a tion,