made it twice as high, to appearance, as it was in reality. After dinner, I went in the pinnace with Mr. Banks, Dr. Solander, Tupia, and some others, into another cove, about two miles diftant from that in which the fhip lay: in our way we faw fomething floating upon the water, which we took for a dead feal, but upon rowing up to it, found it to be the body of a woman, which to all appearance had been dead fome days. We proceeded to our cove, where we went on fhore, and found a small family of Indians, who appeared to be greatly terrified at our approach, and all ran away except one. A converfation between this perfon and Tupia foon brought back the rest, except an old man and a child, who ftill kept aloof, but ftood peeping at us from the woods. Of these people, our curiofity naturally led us to inquire after the body of the woman, which we had feen floating upon the water and they acquainted us, by Tupia, that she was a relation, who had died a natural death; and that, according to their custom, they had tied a ftone to the body, and thrown it into the fea, which stone, they fuppofed, had by fome accident been difengaged. This family, when we came on fhore, was employed in dreffing fome provifions: the body of a dog was at this time buried in their 1770. January. Tuesday 16. 1770. January. oven, and many provifion baskets stood near it. Having caft our eyes carelessly into one of these, Tuesday 16. as we paffed it, we faw two bones pretty cleanly picked, which did not seem to be the bones of a dog, and which, upon a nearer examination, we discovered to be thofe of a human body. At this fight we were ftruck with horror, though it was only a confirmation of what we had heard many times fince we arrived upon this coaft. As we could have no doubt but the bones were human, neither could we have any doubt but that the flesh which covered them had been eaten. They were found in a provision basket; the flesh that remained appeared manifeftly to have been dreffed by fire, and in the griftles at the end, were the marks of the teeth which had gnawed them to put an end however to conjecture, founded upon circumstances and appearances, we directed Tupia to afk what bones they were; and the Indians, without the leaft hesitation, answered, the bones of a man: they were then afked what was become of the flesh, and they replied that they had eaten it; but, faid Tupia, why did you not eat the body of the woman which we faw floating upon the water: the woman, faid they, died of difeafe; befides, she was our relation, and we eat only the bodies of our enemies, who are killed in battle. Upon inquiry who the man was whofe bones we had found, they told us, that about five days before, a boat 1770. January. Tuesday 16. a boat belonging to their enemies came into the bay, with many perfons on board, and that this man was one of feven whom they had killed. Though ftronger evidence of this horrid practice prevailing among the inhabitants of this coaft will scarcely be required, we have still ftronger to give. One of us afked if they had any human bones with the flesh remaining upon them, and upon their anfwering us that all had been eaten, we affected to difbelieve that the bones were human, and faid that they were the bones of a dog; upon which one of the Indians with fome eagerness took hold of his own forearm, and thrufting it towards us, faid, that the bone which Mr. Banks held in his hand had belonged to that part of a human body; at the fame time, to convince us that the flesh had been eaten, he took hold of his own arm with his teeth, and made fhew of eating he also bit and gnawed the bone which Mr. Banks had taken, drawing it through his mouth, and fhewing, by figns, that it had afforded a delicious. repaft; the bone was then returned to Mr. Banks, and he brought it away with him. Among the perfons of this family, there was a woman who had her arms, legs, and thighs frightfully cut in feveral places; and we were told that fhe had inflicted the wounds upon herself, in token of her grief for the lofs of her husband, who had been lately killed and eaten by 1770. January. their enemies, who had come from fome place to the eastward, towards which the Indians pointed. The ship lay at the distance of fomewhat lefs Wednef. 17. than a quarter of a mile from the fhore, and in the morning we were awakened by the finging of the birds: the number was incredible, and they feemed to ftrain their throats in emulation of each other. This wild melody was infinitely fuperior to any that we had ever heard of the fame kind; it feemed to be like fmall bells, moft exquifitely tuned, and perhaps the distance, and the water between, might be no small advantage to the found. Upon inquiry, we were informed that the birds here always began to fing about two hours after midnight, and continuing their mufic till funrife, were, like our nightingales, filent the reft of the day. In the forenoon, a small canoe came off from the Indian village to the fhip, and among those that were in it, was the old man who had firft come on board at our arrival in the bay. As foon as it came alongfide, Tupia renewed the conversation, that had paffed the day before, concerning their practice of eating human flesh, during which they repeated what they had told us already; but, faid Tupia, where are the heads? do you eat them too? Of the heads, faid the old man, we eat only the brains, and the next time I come I will bring fome of them to convince you that what we have told you is truth. 1770. January. After fome farther conversation between these people and Tupia, they told him that they expected their enemies to come very fhortly, to Wednef. 17. revenge the death of the feven men whom they had killed and eaten. On the 18th, the Indians were more quiet than ufual, no canoe came near the fhip, nor Thursd. 18. did we fee one of them moving on the fhore, their fishing, and other ufual occupations being totally fufpended. We thought they expected an attack on this day, and therefore attended more diligently to what paffed on fhore; but we faw nothing to gratify our curiofity. After breakfast, we went out in the pinnace, to take a view of the bay, which was of vast extent, and confifted of numberless fmall harbours and coves, in every direction: we confined our excurfion, however, to the western fide, and the country being an impenetrable foreft where we landed, we could fee nothing worthy of notice: we killed, however, a good number of fhaggs, which we faw fitting upon their nefts in the trees, and which, whether roafted or itewed, we confidered as very good provision. As we were returning, we faw a fingle man in a canoe fishing; we rowed up to him, and to our great surprise he took not the leaft notice of us, but even when we were alongfide of him, continued to follow his occupation, without adverting to us any more than if ร |