1769.

October.

been pierced by his lance, he ran at it with his Patoo-Patoo, and falling upon the upper end of it, which was to represent his adverfary's head, Tuesday 24. he laid on with great vehemence, striking many blows, any one of which would probably have fplit the fcull of an ox. From our champion's falling upon his mock enemy with the PatooPatoo, after he was fuppofed to have been pierced with the lance, our Gentlemen inferred, that in the battles of this country there is no quarter.

This afternoon, we fet up the armourer's forge, to repair the braces of the tiller which had been broken, and went on getting our wood and water, without fuffering the least moleftation from the natives; who came down with different forts of fifh, which we purchased with cloth, beads, and glafs bottles, as usual.

On the 25th, Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander w.dnef. 25. went again on fhore; and while they were fearching for plants, Tupia ftaid with the waterers: among other Indians who came down to them, was a priest, with whom Tupia entered into a very learned converfation. In their notions of religion they feemed to agree very well, which is not often the case between learned divines on our fide of the ocean: Tupia, however, seemed to have the most knowledge, and he was liftened to with great deference and attention by the other. In the courfe of this converfation, after the important

0 3

October.

Wednef. 25.

1769. portant points of divinity had been fettled, Tupia inquired if it was their practice to eat men, to which they answered in the affirmative; but faid that they eat only their enemies who were flain in battle.

Thurfd. 26.

Friday 27.

On the 26th, it rained all day, fo that none of us could go afhore; and very few of the Indians came either to the watering-place or the fhip.

On the 27th, I went with Dr. Solander to examine the bottom of the bay; but though we went ashore at two places, we met with little worth notice. The people behaved very civilly, fhewing us every thing that we expreffed a defire to fee. Among other trifling curiofities. which Dr. Solander purchased of them, was a boy's top, shaped exactly like thofe which children play with in England; and they made signs, that to make it spin it was to be whipped. Mr. Banks in the mean time went afhore at the watering-place, and climbed a hill which stood at a little diftance to fee a fence of poles, which we had obferved from the fhip, and which had been much the subject of fpeculation. The hill was extremely steep, and rendered almoft inacceffible by wood; yet he reached the place, near which he found many houses that for some reason had been deferted by their inhabitants. The poles appeared to be about fixteen feet high; they were placed in two rows, with a space of about fix

feet

1-69.

October.

feet between them, and the poles in each row were about ten feet diftant from each other. The lane between them was covered by sticks, that Friday 27. were fet up floping towards each other from the

top of the poles on each fide, like the roof of a house. This rail-work, with a ditch that was parallel to it, was carried about a hundred yards down the hill in a kind of curve; but for what purpose we could not guess.

The Indians, at the watering-place, at our request, entertained us with their war-fong, in which the women joined, with the most horrid distortions of countenance, rolling their eyes, thrusting out their tongues, and often heaving loud and deep fighs; though all was done in very good time.

On the 28th, we went afhore upon an island Saturd, 28. that lies to the left hand of the entrance of the bay, where we saw the largest canoe that we had yet met with fhe was fixty-eight feet and a half long, five broad, and three feet fix high; he had a fharp bottom, confifting of three trunks of trees hollowed, of which that in the middle was the longeft: the fide planks were fixty-two feet long in one piece, and were not defpicably carved in bas relief; the head alfo was adorned with carving ftill more richly. Upon this ifland there was a larger house than any we had yet feen; but it seemed unfinished and was full of chips. The wood work was

October.

1769 fquared fo even and smooth, that we made no doubt of their having among them very sharp. Saturd. 28. tools. The fides of the pofts were carved in a

Sunday 29.

masterly ftile, though after their whimsical tafte, which feems to prefer fpiral lines and distorted faces as thefe carved pofts appeared to have been brought from fome other place, fuch work is probably of great value among them.

At four o'clock in the morning of the 29th, having got on board our wood and water, and a large fupply of excellent celery, with which the country abounds, and which proved a powerful antifcorbutic, I unmoored and put to fea.

This bay is called by the natives TOLAGA; it is moderately large, and has from seven to thirteen fathom, with a clean fandy bottom and good anchorage; and is fheltered from all winds except the north east. It lies in latitude 38°. 22 S. and four leagues and an half to the north of Gable-end Foreland. On the fouth point lies. a fmall but high ifland, fo near the main as not to be diftinguished from it. Close to the north end of the island, at the entrance into the bay, are two high rocks; one is round like a cornftack, but the other is long, and perforated in feveral places, fo that the openings appear like the arches of a bridge. Within these rocks is the cove where we cut wood, and filled our water-cafks. Off the north point of the bay is a pretty high rocky inland; and about a mile

without

The

without it, are fome rocks and breakers. variation of the compass here is 14° 31°E., and the tide flows at the full and change of the moon, about fix o'clock, and rifes and falls perpendi cularly from five to fix feet: whether the flood comes from the fouthward or the northward I have not been able to determine.

of

We got nothing here by traffic but a few fifh, and some sweet potatoes, except a few trifles, which we confidered merely as curiofities. We faw no four-footed animals, nor the appearance any, either tame or wild, except dogs and rats, and these were very scarce: the people eat the dogs, like our friends at Otaheite; and adorn their garments with the skins, as we do ours with fur and ermine. I climbed many of the hills, hoping to get a view of the country, but I could fee nothing from the top except higher hills, in a boundless fucceffion. The ridges of these hills produce little befides fern; but the fides are moft luxuriantly clothed with wood, and verdure of various kinds, with little plantations intermixed. In the woods, we found trees of above twenty different forts, and carried fpecimens of each on board; but there was no body among us to whom they were not altogether unknown. The tree which we cut for firing was fomewhat like our maple, and yielded a whitish gum, We found another fort of it of a deep yellow, which we thought might

be