fome foundation for the dory of this unexpected arrival.
However, to gain fome farther information, I wentonihore
with Omai, in queft of the man who, it was laid, had
brought the firft account o f this event from Annamooka.
We found him at the houfe of Earoupa; where Omai put
fuch queftions to him as I thought neceffary; and the an-
fwers he gave, were fo clear and fatisfaclory, that I had not
a doubt remaining. But, juft about this time, a Chief, of
fome note, whom we well knew, arrived from Annamooka;
and declared, that no Ihip was, at that illand, nor had
been, fince our leaving it. The propagator of the report,
finding himfelf deteited in a falfehood, inftantly withdrew,
and we faw no more of him. What end the invention of
this tale could anfwer, was not eafy to conjecture; unlefs
we fuppofe it to have been artfully contrived, to get us removed
from the one ifland to the other.
In my walk, on the 25th, I happened to ftep into a houfe,
where a woman was dreffing the eyes of a young child, who
feemed blind-5 the eyes being much inflamed, and a thin,
film fpread over them. The inftruments ihe ufed were two
flender wooden probes, with which ihe had bruihed the
eyes fo-as to make them bleed. It feems worth mentioning,
that the natives of thefeiflands fhould- attempt an operation
of this fort; though I entered the houfe too late,, to
defcribe exaitty how this female oculiffi employed the
wretched tools ihe had to work with.
I was fortunate enough to fee a different operation going
on in the fame houfe, of which I can give a tolerable account.
I found there another woman ihaving a child’s
head, with a ihark s tooth, ftuck into the end of. a piece of
flick. I obferved, that ihe firfl wet the hair with a rag
dipped
dipped in water, applying her inftrument to that part which ' n - ihe had previoufly foaked, The operation feemed to give no v. ,
pain to the child; although the hair was taken- off as clofe as if one of our razors had been employed. Encouraged by what I now faw, I, foon after, tried one of thefe lingular inftruments upon myfelf, and found it to be an excellent
fuccedaneum. However, the men of thefe iflands have re- courfe to another contrivance when they ihave their beards.
The. operation is performed with two iheils they place under a fmall part of the beard,; aonnde owfi twhh tihche other,, applied above, they {crape that part off. In this manner they are able to ihave very clofe. The procefs ' is, indeed, rather tedious, but not painfuland there are
men amongft them who feem to profefs this trade. It was as common, while we were here, to fee our failors go1 aihore to have their beards fcraped off, after the faihion of
iHhaapvaeede ,b ya so uitr wbaarsb teor s.fee their Chiefs come on board to be
Finding that little or nothing of the produce of the ifland was now brought to the ihips, I refolved to change our
ffation, and to wait Feenou’s return from Vavaoo, in fome other convenient anchoring-place, where refreihments might ftill be met with. Accordingly, in the forenoon of the 26th, Monday 26, we got under fail, and flood to the Southward along the
reef of the iflandhaying fourteen and thirteen fathoms' water, with a fandy bottom. However, we met with feveral
fdoemtaec,h ebdy f hothaels . wSoamteer oufp tohne mth weemr e adpipfceoavreinregd 'dbiyf cborleoaukreerds;
and others, by the lead. - At half paft two in the afternoon,,
having already palled feveral of thefe ihoals, and feeing, more of them before us, I hauled into a bay, that lies between,
the South end of Lefooga, and the North end of Hoolaiva,