264 cook's voyage to april, 



of our notice was the number of people, which must 

 have been at least two thousand. For those who 

 welcomed us on the shore bore no proportion to the 

 multitude we found amongst the trees, on proceeding 

 a little way up. 



" We could also observe that, except a few, those 

 we had hitherto seen on board were of the lower 

 class ; for a great number of those we now met with, 

 had a superior dignity in their air, and were of a 

 much whiter cast. In general they had the hair tied 

 on the crown of the head, long, black, and of a most 

 luxuriant growth. Many of the young men were 

 perfect models in shape, of a complexion as delicate 

 as that of the women, and, to appearance, of a dis- 

 position as amiable. Others who were more ad^ 

 vanced in years, were corpulent ; and all had a 

 remarkable smoothness of the skin. Their general 

 dress was a piece of cloth or mat wrapped about the 

 waist, and covering the parts which modesty con^ 

 ceals. But some had pieces of mats most curiously 

 varied with black and white, made into a sort of 

 jacket without sleeves ; and others wore conical capsof 

 cocoa-nut core, neatly interwoven with small beads 

 made of a shelly substance. Their ears were pierced ; 

 and in them they hung bits of the membraneous part 

 of some plant, or stuck there an odoriferous flower, 

 which seemed to be a species of gardenia. Some 

 who were of a superior class, and also the chiefs, had 

 two little balls with a common base, made from the 

 bone of some animal which was hung round the 

 neck, with a great many folds of small cord. And 

 after the ceremony of introduction to the chiefs was 

 over, they then appeared without their red feathers ; 

 which are certainly considered here as a particular 

 mark of distinction, for none but themselves and the 

 young women who danced assumed them. 



" Some of the men were punctured all over the sides 

 and back in an uncommon manner ; and some of the 

 women had the same ornament on their legs. But 



