P- 36* The people of Mallicollo feem to be a quite different nation from any they had
met with, and fpeak a different language. The country appears to be fertile,
P‘ 34- but the fruits not fo-good as thofe at the Society and Friendly Ifles. The inhabitants
are, in general, the mod: ugly, ill proportioned people they had ever
feen, and in every refpedt different from all others they had vifited in this
fea. They are a very dark' coloured, and rather diminutive race, with long
heads, flat faces, and monkey countenances; their hair, which is moftly
black or brown, is fhort and curly, but not quite fo foft and woolly as that of
a negro. But what adds moft to their deformity, is a belt or cord which they
wear round the waift, and tie fo tight over the belly, that the fhape of their
bodies is not unlike that of an over-grown pifmire; the men go quite naked,
P- 35* except a piece of cloth or leaf ufed as a wrapper. The women, of whom they
faw but few, are not lefs ugly than the men: their heads, faces, and fhoulders
are painted red; they wear a kind of petticoat; and fome of them had fome-
thing over their fhoulders like a bag, in which they carry their children; their
ornaments are ear-rings made of tortoifefhell and bracelets. Their weapons are
clubs, fpears, and bows and arrows: the two former are made of hard or iron
P- 3i- wood. Their habitations are fomething like thofe of the other iflands, rather
low, and covered with palm thatch.
In one particular, however, they varied much from the neighbouring iflanders,
P' 31* that is, in their honefty. During the flay of the fhip they loft but one article,
the buoy of the kedge anchor, which was reftored upon the firft application.
And in their dealings they gave fuch extraordinary proofs of their honour, as
P- 33* quite furprized the crew. Some canoes Coming off when the fhip was under
fail, feveral of them dropped aftern, after they had received the goods from
her, and before they had time to deliver theirs in return. Inftead of taking
advantage of this, as the natives of the Society lie s would have done, they
ufed their utmoft endeavours to get up with the fhip: one man in particular
followed them a confiderable time, and did not reach her till it was calm : as
foon as he came along fide, he. held up the thing, which feveral were ready to
buy, but he refufed to part with it till he fa\v the perfon to whom he had
before fold it, and to him he gave i t : the perfon, not knowing him again,
offered him fomething in return, which he refufed, and fhewed him what he
had given him before. H
6 ' The
The night before they left Port Sandwich, two reddiih fifh, about the fize of p* 39«
large bream, and not unlike them, was caught with a hook and line. On
thefe fifh moft of the officers and fome of the petty officers dined the next day.
The night following, every one who had eaten of them was feized with violent
pains in the head and bones, attended with a fcorching heat all over the fkin,
and numbnefs in the joints. There remained no doubt that this was occafioned
by the fifh being of a poifonous nature, and having communicated its bad effedts
to all who partook of them, even to hogs and dogs. One of the former died
about fixteen hours after; it was not long before one of the latter fhared
the fame fate: and it was a week or ten days before all the gentlemen recovered.
Thefe muft have been the fame fort of fifh mentioned by Quiros, under the
name of Pargos, that poifoned the crews of his fhips.
On the 23d of July they departed from Mallicollo, and on the 25th. fell in P- 4°-
with one large and four fmall iflands. The large one Captain Cook named P* 41*
Sandwich, in honour of his noble patron the Earl of Sandwich; one of the
fmaller Montague, and another Hinchinbrooke. As they palled Montague Ifle,
feveral of the natives came down to the fea fide, and by figns feemed to invite
them afliore. Some were alfo feen on Sandwich Illand, which exhibited a moft
delightful profpedt, being fpotted with woods and lawns, agreeably diverfified
over the whole furface.
After this they difcovered feveral other iflands; and on the 3d of Auguft p. 45.
anchored on the N. W. fide of one, in feventeen fathoms water: Being in p. 46.
want of fire wood and water, Captain Cook went afhore on the 4th, with two
boats; where on a fine iandy beach he ftepped out of the boat, without wetting
a foot, in the face of a vaft multitude. He took but one man out of the boat
with him; and ordered the other boat to lie a little diftance off. With only a
green branch in his hand, which he had before got from one of the natives:
he then approached them, and was received with great cburtefy and politenefs
But prefently after the fcene was changed. The Chief made figns for him to
haul the boat up upon the fliore, and, on his refufaJ, they proceeded to do it
themfelves by force. Being moft of them armed with clubs, fpears, darts, and
■bojgs an4 arrows; a ikirmiih now enfued; and it was not till after feveral of them
W I ■ were