landed, they never ceased to indicate by shouts, screams*
and all kinds of gesticulations, that the sooner we quitted
the island the b etter; the cliff being 200 feet high, and
nearly perpendicular, it was fortunate for us that they confined
themselves to signs and clamour, and did not think of
enforcing their wishes by a shower of stones.
As soon as we had completed our investigation of this
spot, we went round in the boats to a small bay where there
was good landing. Here we were met by the natives, who
addressed several long speeches to us in a very loud tone of
voice; to which we replied in English, that our wish was
merely to look at the island, without interfering with any
bo d y ; a t the same time we proceeded up a foot-path to
the brow of a hill. This the natives did not seem a t all to
relish, and they made use of a sign which was sufficiently
expressive of their anxiety, though we could not determine
exactly to whom it referred. They drew their fans across
their own throats, and sometimes across ours, as if to
signify tha t our going on would lead to heads being cut
off; bu t whether they or we were to be the sufferers was
not apparent. I t was suggested by one of our party th a t
they dreaded being called to account by their own chiefs
for permitting us to land. All these signs, however, did not
prevent our advancing till we had reached the brow'of the
hill to which the path led ; from this place we had a view
of a village at the distance of half a mile, of a much better
appearance than that above described. Trees were interspersed
among the houses, which were pleasantly situated
a t the bottom of a little cove, with fishing-boats a t anchor
near it. We explained readily enough that our wish was to
go to the village, but it was all in vain, for their anxiety
increased every moment, and we desisted from any further
attempts to advance.
The dress of thèse people is a loose white robe, cloth
shoes, and a few wear the broad hats before described ; by
most the hair is tied in a high conical knot on the top of
the head, but by others it is allowed to fly loose, so as to
give them a wild appearance. Some confine the short hair
by a small gauze band with a star on one side, forming, along
with the top knot, rather a becoming head-dress. Their
beards and whiskers which, apparently, had never been cut,
and their fans and long tobacco-pipes, and their strange
language and manners, gave a grotesque air to the whole
group, which it is impossible to describe- They crowded
about us, and, by repeated shouts, manifested their surprise
a t the form and texture of our clothes ; but on a watch being
shewn, they disregarded every thing else, and entreated to
be allowed to examine it closely. I t was evidently the first