were killed and wounded, that they retired. One of the boat’s crew was
wounded in the cheek with a dart, the point of which, was as thick as a man’s
Unger; and an arrow, pointed with hard wood, ilruck againil another’s naked
breaft, but did not penetrate the ikin.
p. 48. This place not being likely to fupply their wants with convenience, as loon as
the boats returned on board, . they fet their fails, and plyed out of the bay..
P'49* From the flight obfervations they could make, thefe iflanders feemed to be a
different race from thofe of Mallicollo, and fpoke a different language. They
are of the middle fize, have a good ihape, and tolerable features. The Promontory
or Peninfula on which this affray happened, Captain Cook named
Traitor's Head, from the treacherous behaviour of its inhabitants. It is fituated
in latitude i 8°43’ f°uth> longitude 169° 28’ eaft.
P- 49* As they advanced- to the S. S. E. on the 4th, they difcovered another ifland,
towards which-they fleered during the night, being direded by a great light
they faw upon it. This, on their nearer approach, they found to proceed from
a volcano. At firft, the behaviour o f the natives was nearly fimilar to thofe of
the ifland they landed on laft; but by the mediation of a friendly old man,
whole name was Paowang, and the prudent but refolute behaviour o f Captain
Cook, they were kept within tolerable bounds. Some of them, at times,
would indeed behave daring and infolent, but others were equally courteous and
civil.
p. 51. Whilft they were calling anchor, fome of the natives wanted to carry off
every thing within their reach: but a four-pounder and a few mufquetoon ihot
p. 56. put a flop to their depredations. The prefents made to the old people, and to
fuch as feemed to he of confequence, had little effedt on the condud of the
young and daring. Captain Cook, however, taking Paowang to the woods
and making him underftand that he wanted to cut down fome trees, to take-on
board ihip, he readily gave his confent; nor was there any one who made the
leaft objection.
p. 57. During the night of the 6th, as it did moft nights during their flay, the
volcano vomited up vaft quantities of lire and fmoke, and the flames were feen
T O T H E ' S O U T H S E A S .
to rife above a hill which lay between the ihip and it: at every eruption it made
a long rumbling noife like that of thunder* or the blowing up of large mines;
a heavy ihower of rain, which fell at thé time, feemed to increafe it: and thé
wind blowing from that quarter, the air was loaded with alhes, which fell fo
thick, that every thing was covered with the dull : it was a kind of fine fand, or
ftone ground or burnt to powder, and was exceedingly troublefome to the eyes*
By the 9th the. behaviour of the natives was become more courteous and P; 58*
obliging, though they ftill kept armed. They were, however, very jealous of
their viiitors going up into the country. Mr. Forfter had by this time learnt P 60.
from the people the proper name of the ifland, which they called Tanna; and
Captain Cook likewife gathered from fome others the names of thofe in thé
neighbourhood: the one he touched at laft, he found, was balled Erromango;
a fmall ifle which they diicovered the morning they landed here, was named
Immer; the Table Ifland, to the eaft, diicovered at the fame time, Erronam,
or Footoona, and an ifland that lies to the S. E. Annattom: all which are to be
feen from Tanna.
The natives gave them to underftand, in a manner which feemed not to admit p. 60.
o f a doubt, that they eat human fleih; and that circumcifion was pradtifed
among them. By a man’s fcalding his fingers in taking a ftone up out of fome p. 6r.
water, this day, as they were loading ballaft, a difcovery was made o f lèverai
hot iprings at the foot of a cliff.
Some of the officers and gentlemen advanced on the 10th, for the firft time,
a little way into the ifland, where they met with a fmall ftraggling village, the
inhabitants of which treated them with great civility. And the next morning
Mr. Forfter and his party made alfo an excurfion into the country.
During the night of the n th , the volcano was exceedingly troublefome, and n,
made a terrible noife, throwing up prodigious columns of fire and fmoke at
each explofion, which happened every three or four minutes: at one time
great ftones were feen high in the air. On a hill, fituated the weft fide of the P« 62.
harbour, three places were found, from whence fmoke of a fulphureous fmell
iffued