i77t.
F e b ru a r y .
a dozen circuits before tbe other bad iiniibed his braifon.
This ceremony be in g performed, w e proceeded ; and, pre-
fently, met people coming from a ll parts, who, on be in g
called to by m y attendants, threw themfelves proftrate on
their faces, till I was out o f fight. T he ground, through
w h ich I paffed, was in a ftate o f nature, ve ry ftony, and
the foil feemed poor. It was, however, covered with ihrubs
and plants, fome o f w hich perfumed the air, with a more
delicious fragrancy than I had met with at any other o f the
illands vifited b y us in this ocean. Our people, w h o had
been obliged to remain fo long on ihore, gave me the fame
account o f thofe parts o f the iiland w hich they had traverfed.
T h e y met with feveral fait ponds, fome o f w h ich had a little
water remaining, b u t others had none; and the fait that
was le ft in them was fo thin, that no great quantity could
have been procured. T he re was no appearance o f any runn
in g fiream ; and though the y found fome fmall wells, in
w h ich the frefli water was tolerably good, it feemed fcarce.
T h e habitations o f the natives were thin ly fcattered about ;
and it was fuppofed, that there could not be more than five
hundred people upon the illand, as the greateft part were
feen at the marketing-place o f our party, and few found
about th eh o u fe s by thofe w ho w alked up the country. T h e y
had an opportunity o f obferving the method o f liv in g
amongft the n a tiv e s ,' and it appeared to be decent and
cleanly. T h e y did not, however, fee any inftance o f the
men and women eating to ge th er; and the latter feemed g e nerally
affociated in companies b y themfelves. It wag,
found, that they burnt here the oily nuts o f the dooe dooe fo r
ligh ts in the n ight, as at Otaheite; and that they b aked
their hogs in oVens ; but, contrary to the praftice o f the Society
and Friendly Illands, fplit the carcafes through their
w h o le
whole length. T h e y m et with a pofitive p roof o f the exiftence
o f the taboo (or as they pronounce it the tafoo), for one w oman 1 —
fed another who was under that interdiction. T h e y alfo ob-
feryed fome other myfterious ceremonies; one o f w hich was
performed by a woman, who took a fmall pig, and threw
d t into the fu r f, till it was drowned, and then tied up a
bundle o f wood, which fhe alfo difpofed o f in the fame
manner. T h e fame woman, at another time, beat with a
flick upon a man’s ihoulders, w h o fat down for that pur-
pofe. A particular veneration feemed to be paid here to
owls, w h ich they have v e ry tam e ; and it was obferved to be
a pretty general pradlice, amongft them, to pull out one o f
their te e th * ; fo r w h ich odd cuftom, when aiked the rea-
fon, the only anfwer that could be got was, that it was teeha,
w h ich was alfo the reafon afligned for another o f their
pradtices, the g iv in g a lock o f their hair.
A fte r the water-caiks had been filled and conveyed into
the boat, and w e had purchafed from the natives a few
roots, a little fait, and fome falted fifh, I returned on board
w ith all the people, intending to vifit the iiland the next
day. But, about feven o ’clock in the evening, the anchor
o f the Refolution ftarted, and fhe drove o ff the bank.
As we had a whole cable out, it was fome time before the
anchor was at the bows ; and then vye had the launch to
hoift up along-fide, before w e could make fail. By this unlu
ck y accident, w e found ourfelves, at day-break next
morning, three leagues to the leeward o f our laft ila tio n ; Mondaya.;
and forefeeing that it would require more time to recover
* I t is very remarkable, that, in this cuftom, which one would think is fo unnatural,
as not to be adopted by two different tribes, originally unconnected, the people o f this
ifl.and, and Dampier’ s natives 011 the W e ft fide o f New Holland, atfuch an immenfc •
■diftance, ihould be found to agree.