lili
wait their deltlny, We made figns to them that we meant them no harm, if they
would behave peaceably, which they fo well underftood, that they took all their
weapons and put them into a canoe, and fent it off while they came clofe to the
Ihip. We threw them feveral kinds of things, but they were fo timorous that they
durft not venture on board; nor would they fend any. thing to us. During this
interview another canoe came up, threw a lance at the Hern of the (hip, and made
off again. The lance fell into the water and funk immediately. There were
fome good-looking people in thefe canoes, others were disfigured, and had a very
favage countenance. One old man, in particular, who feemed to be a chief, was
painted red, and had a red garment, but the garments of fome others were ftriped.
The principals amongft them had their hair tied up on the crown of their heads;
and fome feathers, with a little bundle of perfume, hung about their necks. Moll of
them were tataowed in the face, and- many of them quite naked, who feemed to
be fervants to the reft. Several of them had pieces of a green ftone*'hung about
their necks, which feemed to be pellucid, like an emerald. Their fpears were
not unlike our fheriffs halberts, having red and yellow taffels tied Jo them!, In one
of their cano'es,w.e,faw a hatcher, made, o f the green Hone., in fhape like thole of
Otaheite. Their canoes [fee pi. XVIII.] had from eighteen to twenty-two men
. in them, and were adorned with fine heads made out of a thick board, cut through
like fi'l'ligree-work, in fpirals .of very curious workmanfhip. At the-end of this
was a head, with two large eyes of mother-of-pearl, and a large heart-lhaped
tongue. This figure went round the bottom of the board, and had feet and hands
carved, upon it very neatly, and painted red: they had alfo.high-peaked Herns,
wrought in filligree, and adorned with feathers,'from the top of which depended two
long dreamers, made of feathers, which almoft reached the water. Some of thefe
’ canoes were between fifty and fixty feet long, and rowed with eighteen paddles.
They gave us two Heivos, in their canoes, which were very, diverting. They
beat time, with.their paddles, and ended all at once with the word Epaah; at the
fame inftant ftrikiog their, paddles on the thwarts: all which afforded a truly
comic a<£t.
* Pieces o f this kind of {tone were brought1 home in the Endeavour ; on examination it appears
to be a fine fort of Nephritic ftone, '1 his remark will ferve for all their ornaments hereafter mentioned;
faid to be made of a green ftone.
The