1777' THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 1?7 



In the afternoon, we were agreeably surprised, at 

 the place where we were cutting wood, with a visit 

 from some of the natives ; eight men and a boy. 

 They approached us from the woods, without betray- 

 ing any marks of fear, or rather with the greatest 

 confidence imaginable ; for none of them had any 

 weapons, except one, who held in his hand a stick 

 about two feet long, and pointed at one end. 



They were quite naked, and wore no ornaments ; 

 unless we consider as such, and as a proof of their 

 love of finery, some large punctures or ridges raised 

 on different parts of their bodies, some in straight, 

 and others in curved lines. 



They were of the common stature, but rather 

 slender. Their skin was black, and also their hair, 

 which was as woolly as that of any native of Guinea; 

 but they were not distinguished by remarkably thick 

 lips, nor flat noses. On the contrary, their features 

 were far from being disagreeable. They had pretty 

 good eyes ; and their teeth were tolerably even, but 

 very dirty. Most of them had their hair and beards 

 smeared with a red ointment ; and some had their 

 faces also painted with the same composition. 



They received every present we made to them 

 without the least appearance of satisfaction. When 

 some bread was given, as soon as they understood 

 that it was to be eaten, they either returned it, or 

 threw it away, without even tasting it. They also 

 refused some elephant fish, both raw and dressed, 

 which we offered to them. But upon giving some 

 birds to them, they did not return these, and easily 

 made us comprehend that they were fond of such 

 food. 1 had brought two pigs ashore, with a view 

 to leave them in the woods. The instant these came 

 within their reach, they seized them, as a dog would 

 have done, by the ears, and were for carrying them 

 off immediately ; with no other intention, as we could 

 perceive, but to kill them. 



vol. v. N 



