contrasted the reception he had met with from us, with his
present unaccountable behaviour. This was expressed by
a.dumb show acting of all that had taken place since we
came to anchor in the bay ; and these signs we thought
might be intelligible to the Chief, because they were so to
all of us, although no words were used. The signs used by
different nations, however, are often dissimilar when the
same thing is to be expressed : and it happened frequently
with us that all attempts a t explanation failed, on both sides,
though the signs used appeared to be understood by all the
people of the same nation with the person making the signs.
The old man made a long speech in reply ; in the course
which the beheading sign was frequently repeated. I t is
curious that he invariably held his hands towards his throat
after he had gone through this motion, and appeared to
wash his hands in his blood : probably he did this in imitation
of some ceremony used a t executions.
Upon one occasion the Chief endeavoured to explain
something to us which had a reference to a period of two
days ; this he did by pointing to the sun, making a motion
twice from east to west, and, at the end of each time,
closing his eyes as if asleep. This sign was variously interpreted
: some believed it to mean that in two days his
head would be taken off : others imagined that in two days
a communication might be made to his government, and
that orders for our reception would be transmitted. Whatever
might have been meant by this particular sign, it
seems very probable th a t some general instructions were in
force along the whole of this coast by which the treatment
of strangers is regulated. The promptitude with which we
were met at this place, where, perhaps, no ship ever was
before, and the pertinacity with which our landing was opposed,
seem to imply an extraordinary degree of vigilance
and jealousy on the part of the government.
We expressed a desire to eat and drink, in the hopes of
working on the old man's hospitality, and, perhaps, inducing
him to entertain us in his house; but he made no
motion towards the village, and merely sent off a servant
for some water and a few small cockles. When this sorry
fare was laid on the beach, the old gentleman made sign§
for us to begin; but we did not choose to be pleased either
with the entertainment itself, or with the place and manner
in which it had been served. We explained to him that
the proper place to eat was in a house, and not on a wet
dirty beach; he made no offer, however, of any other; but
leaning his head pensively on his hands, seemed entirely
resigned to his fate.
The case was now utterly hopeless; and after an ineffectual
attempt to cheer him up, we went on board, as