1774' ROUND THE WORLD. 285 



without washing themselves all over as soon as they 

 have done ; and if ever so many of them are together, 

 the first leaps right into the middle of the hole, 

 drinks, and washes himself vvithouttheleastceremony ; 

 after which another takes his place and does the same. 



They observed that this side of the island was 

 full of those gigantic statues so often mentioned ; 

 some placed in groups on platforms of masonry ; 

 others single, fixed only in the earth, and that not 

 deep ; and these latter are in general much larger 

 than the others. Having measured one which had 

 fallen down, they found it very near twenty-seven 

 feet long, and upwards of eight feet over the breast 

 or shoulders ; and yet this appeared considerably 

 short of the size of one they saw standing; its shade, 

 a little past two o'clock, being sufficient to shelter all 

 the party, consisting of near thirty persons, from the 

 rays of the sun. Here they stopped to dine ; after 

 which they repaired to a hill, from whence they saw 

 all the east and north shores of the isle, on which 

 they could not see either bay or creek fit even for a 

 boat to land in; nor the least signs of fresh water. 

 What the natives brought them here was real salt 

 water ; but they observed that some of them drank 

 pretty plentifully of it ; so far will necessity and cus- 

 tom get the better of nature ! On this account, they 

 were obliged to return to the last-mentioned well ; 

 where, after having quenched their thirst, they 

 directed their route across the island towards the 

 ship, as it was now four o'clock. 



In a small hollow on the highest part of the island, 

 they met with several such cylinders as are placed 

 on the heads of the statues. Some of these appeared 

 larger than any they had seen before ; but it was 

 now too late to stop to measure any of them. Mr 

 Wales, from whom I had this information, is of 

 opinion that there had been a quarry here, whence 

 these stones had formerly been dug; and that it 

 would have been no difficult matter to roll them 



