-as a formal vifit. Many o f them came readily on board,
crouching down upon the deck, and not quitting that
humble pofture, till they were defired to get up. T h e y
had brought feveral females with them, w ho remained
along fide in the capoes, behaving with fa r lefs modefty
than their countrywomen o f A to o i; and, at times, all jo in in
g in a fong, not remarkable fo r its melody, though performed
in ve ry exaft concert, by beating time upon their
breafts wi th their hands. T he men who had come on board
did not ftay lo n g ; and before they departed, feme o f them
requefted our permilfion to la y down, on the deck, locks o f
the ir hair. ■
The fe vifiters furniffied us with ah opportunity o f agitatin
g again, this day, the curious 'inquiry, whether they were
can n ib a ls ; and the fu b je f td id not take its rife from any
queflions o f ours, but from a circumftance that feemed to
remove all ambiguity. One o f the iflanders, who wanted to
ge t in at the gun-room port, was refufed ; and, at the fame
time, aiked, whether, i f he ihould come in, we wou ld k ill
and eat him ? accompanying this quefiion with fign s fo ex-
preflive, that there could be no doubt about his,.meaning.
T h is gave a proper opening to retort the quefiion as to this
p ra c tice ; and a perfon behind the other, in the canoe, who
paid great attention to what was paffing, immediately an;
fwered, that i f we were killed on fhore, they would certainly
eat us. He fpoke with fo little emotion, that it appeared
plainly to be his meaning, that they would not de-
ftroy us for that purpofe ; but that their eating us would
be the confequence o f our being at enmity w ith them. I
have availed m y fe lf o f Mr. Anderfon’s collections for the
decifion o f this ma tte r; and am forry to fay, that I cannot
fee the lead: reafon to hefitate in pronouncing it to be certain,
that the horrid banquet o f human flefli, is as much *778-
January.
reliffied here, amidft plenty, as it is in New Zealand. <— r— '
In the afternoon, I fent Lieutenant Gore, w ith three
armed boats, to lo ok for the moft convenient landing-place;
and, w hen on ihore, to fearch for fre ih water. In the
evening he returned, h a vin g landed at the village above
mentioned, and acquainted me, that he had been conducted
to a w e ll h a lf a mile up the country; but, by his account,
the quantity o f water it contained was too inconfiderable
fo r our purpofe, and the road leading to it exceedingly bad.
On the 30th, I fent Mr. Gore afliore again, with a guard Friday 3«-..
o f mariners, and a party to trade w ith the natives fo r re-
frd hm en ts . I intended to have followed foon after, and
went from the ihijp with that defign. But the fu r f had in-
creafed fo much, by this time, that.I was fearful, i f I got
aihore, I ihould not be able to ge t o ff again. T h is rea lly
happened to our people who had landed with Mr. Gore,
the communication between them and the fhips, b y our
own boats, being foon flopped. In the evening, the y made
a fignal for the boats, w hich were fent a cco rd in gly ; and, not
lo n g after, they returned w ith a few yams and fome fait.
A tolerable quantity o f both had been'procured in the courfe
o f the day ; but the fu r f was fo great, that the greateft part
o f both thefe articles had been loft in conveying them to the
boats. T h e officer and twenty men, deterred b y the dange
r o f coming off, were left affiore all n ig h t ; and, by this
unfortunate circumftance, the ve ry thing happened, w hich,
as I have already mentioned, I wiffied fo heartily to prevent,
and vainly imagined I had e ffeftually guarded againft.
The violence o f the furf, which our own boats could not
a ft againft, did not hinder the natives from coming o ff to
the