account o f them, as they are a ll ve ry accurately defcribed
by Crantz *. I did not fee a fingle one w ith thefe people
that he has not mentioned ; nor has he mentioned one that
they have not. For defenfive armour they have a kind o f
jacket, or coat o f mail, made o f thin laths, bound together
w ith finews, w hich makes it quite flexible, though fo clofe
as not to admit an arrow or dart. It only covers the trunk
o f the body, and may not be improperly compared to a w oman’s
flays.
As none o f thefe people lived in the bay where w e anchored,
or where any o f us landed, w e faw none o f the ir
habitations; and I had not time to loo k a fter them. O f their
domeftic utenfils, they brought in their boats fome round'
and oval ihallow dilhes o f wood ; and others o f a cylindicat
fhape much deeper. T h e fides were made o f one piece,
bent round, lik e our chip-boxes, though thick, neatly
faftened with thongs, and the bottoms fixed in w ith fm a ll
wooden pegs. Others were fmaller, and o f a more e legant
fhape, fomewhat refembling a large oval butter-boat, without
a handle, but more ihallow, made from a piece o f
wood, or horny fubftance. Thefe laft were fometimes
neatly carved; T h e y had many little fquare b a g s , made
o f the fame gu t with their outer fro ck s, neatly ornamented
with ve ry minute red feathers interwoven with it,
in which were contained fome very fine finews, and bundles
o f fmall cord, made from them, moft ingenioufly plaited.
T h e y alfo brought many chequered baikets, fo clofely
wrought as to hold w a te r ; fome wooden models o f their
cano e s ; a good many little images, four or five inches
long, either o f wood, or flu ffed ; which were covered with
* V o l. i. p. 146. He has alfo given a reprefentation o f them on a plate there in-
ferted, •
a bit
a bit o f fur, and ornamented , with pieces o f fmall q u ill fea- mothers,
in imitation o f their fh e lly beads, w ith hair fixed on ■ M.aY~
their heads. Whether thefe migh t be mere toys for children,
or held in veneration, as reprefenting their deceafed
friends, and applied to fome fuperftitious ptirpofe, we could
not determine. But they have many inftruments made o f
two or three hoops, or concentric pieces o f wood, with a
crofs-bar fixed in the middle, to hold them by. T o thefe are
fixed a great number o f dried barnacle-fhells, w ith threads,
w h ich ferve as a rattle, and make a loud noife, when they
lhak e them. T h is contrivance feems to be a fubftitute for
the rattling-bird at N ootka; and perhaps both o f them are
employed on the fame occafions*.
W ith what tools they make their wooden utenfils, frames
o f boats, and other things, is uncertain ; as the only one
feen amongft them was a kind o f ftone adze, made almoft
after the manner o f thofe o f Otaheite,,and the other iflands
o f the South Sea. T h e y have a great many iron kn iv e s ;,
fome o f which are ftra igh t; others a little cu rved ; and
fome very fmall ones, fixed in pretty long handles, w ith the
blades bent upward, lik e fome o f . our ihoemakers inftru-
ments. But they have ftill knives o f another fort, w h ich
are fometimes near two feet long, fliaped almoft like a dagger,
with a ridge in the middle, The fe they wear in 5
iheaths o f ikins, h u n g b y a thong round the neck, under
their robe ; and they are, probably, on ly ufed as weapons ;
the other knives being apparently applied to other purpofes.
Every thing they have, however, is as well and ingenioufly
made, as i f they- were furnifhed with the moft complete
tool-cheft ; and their fewing, plaiting o f finews, and fmall
* T h e rattling-ball found b y S teller,, who attended Beering in 1 7 4 1 , at no great
diftance from this Sound, feems to be for a iimilar ufe. See Muller, p, 256^
7 w ork