rope, and gave them to thofe in one o f the canoes, who, in
return, tied fome fmall mackerel to the rope, as an equ ivalent.
T his was repea ted; and fome fmall nails, or bits
o f iron, w hich they valued more than any other article,
were given them. For thefe they exchanged more fiih, and
a fweet potatoe.; a fure fign that they had fome notion o f
b a r te r in g ; or, at leaft, o f returning one prefent for another.
T h e y had nothing e lfe in their canoes, except fome large
gou rd ihells, and a kind o f fiflring-net; but one o f them
•offered for fale the piece o f flu ff that he wore round his
w aifl, a fter the manner o f the other iflands. T h e fe people
were o f a brown co lo u r ; ar\d, though o f the common fize,
were ftoutly made. The re was little difference in the
calls o f their colour, but a confiderable variation in their
features ; fome o f their vifages not be in g ve ry un like thofe
.of Europeans. T he hair o f moft o f them was cropt pretty
fh o r t; others had it flowing loofe; and, with a few , it was
tied in 3. bunch on the crown o f the head. In all, it feemed
to be naturally b la c k ; but moft o f them had ftained it, as
is the practice o f the Friendly Illanders, with fome flu ff
w hich gave it a b rown or burnt colour. In general, they wore
their beards. T h e y had no ornaments about their perfons,
nor did we obferve that their ears were perforated; but
fome were pundtured on the hands, or near the groin,
though in a fmall d e g re e ; and the bits o f cloth, which
they wore, were curioully ftained with red, black, and white
colours. T h e y feemed ve ry mild ; and had no arms o f any
kind, i f we except fome fmall ftones, which they had e v i -
' dently brought for their own defence ; and thefe they threw
overboard when they found that they were not wanted.
Seeing no figns o f an anchoring-place at this Eaftern extreme
o f the ifland, I bore away to leeward, and ranged
along
■along the South Eaft fide, at the diftance o f h a lf a league
from the fhore. As foon as we made fail, the canoes le ft t —
us ; but others came off, as -we proceeded along the coaft,
b rin g in g w ith them roafling-pigs, and fome ve ry fine potatoes,
w hich they exchanged, as the others had done, fo r
whatever was offered to them. Several fmall pigs were
purchafed for a fixpenny n a i l; fo that we again found our-
felves in a land o f plenty ; and juft at the time when the
turtle, w hich we had fo fortunately procured at Chriftmas
Ifland, were nearly expended. We paffed feveral v illa g e s ;
fome feated near the fea, and others farther up the country.
T h e inhabitants-of a ll o f them crowded to the fliore, and
colledted themfelves on the elevated places to view the ihips.
T he land upon this fide o f the ifland rifes, in a gentle Hope,
from the fea to the foot o f the mountains, w hich occupy
the centre o f the country, except at one place near the Eaft
end, where they rife d ireA ly from the fea, and feemed to be
formed o f nothing but ftone, or rocks ly in g in horizontal
Jlrata. We faw no wood, but what was up in the interior
part o f the ifland, except a few trees about the v illa g e s ;
near which, alfo, w e could obferve feveral plantations o f
plantains and fugar-canes, and fpots that feemed cultivated
fo r roots.
We continued to found, without {hik in g ground with a
line o f fifty fathoms, till we came abreaft o f a low point,
w hich is about the middle o f this fide o f the ifland, or rather
nearer the North Weft end. Here w e met with twelve
and fourteen fathoms, over a rocky bottom. Being paft this
point, from w hich the coaft trended more Northerly, we had
twenty, then fixteen, twelve, and, at laft, five fathoms over
a fandy bottom. T he laft foundings were about a mile from
the fhore. Night now put a flop to any farther refearches;
V o l . H C c and