by our interpreter Toobaiah, for a confiderable time j and, during the conference,
about two-hundred more, armed with .lances, poles, and itone bludgeons, made
up to us, which, the captain feeing, and being apprehenfive they intended to cut
off ow retreat to the boats, as they had got to the other fide of the river, l}e ordered
us to embark, and return to the ihip; which we did accordingly, taking with us
the three natives whom we had brought on ihore ; but, in the afternoon, we fet
them on ihore again j they parted with us relu£lantly, and went into the woods ;
but, fome time after, we faw them, with our glafles, come out again, make figns
to us, and then go in'again.
Thefe men, while on board, ate an immoderate quantity of every thing that was
fet before them, taking pieces at one time into their mouths fix times larger than
we did, and drank a quart of wine and water at one draught. They informed us,
that there was Taro, Eape, Oomara, Yams, and alfo a peculiar kind of Deer, to
be found upon the ifland.
The natives on this fide of the bay were tataowed, or marked, in various forms
on their faces; and their garments, wrought of ruihes, reached down below
their knees, and were very thick and rough. They tie their foreikins to
their girdle with a firing, arid have holes pierced in their ears, which ihews that
they fometimes wear fome fort of ear-rings : they have alfo fome bracelets ; necklaces
they well knew thè ufe of j but they did not like our iron wares. We faw a
piece of wood which looked as fmooth as if it had been cut with an axe ; but of
what materials thè inftruments are compofed, which they ufe for that purpofe, we
could not learn. We went 'into fome of their houies, which were very meanly
thátched, having a hole In the center of the roof to let out the fmoke ; but we faw
nothing in them except a few cockles, limpets’ and mufcle-fhells.
We found here, a fort of long-pepper, which tailed very much like mace; a
Fúlica, or bald Coot, of a dark blue colour j and a Black-bird, the fleih of which
was of an orange'colour, and tailed like ftewed fliell-fifh. A vail quantity of
pumice-ilone lies all along upon the ihore, within the bay, which indicates that
there is a volcano in this iiland.
N On