350 cook's voyage to .tune, 



vigour. Beyond this is a pretty large plain, on 

 which are some cocoa-trees, and a few small plant- 

 ations that appear to have been lately made ; and 

 seemingly on ground that has never been cultivated 

 before. Near the creek which runs to the westward 

 of the tent the land is quite flat, and partly overflowed 

 by the sea every tide. When that retires, the sur- 

 face is seen to be composed of coral rock, with holes 

 of yellowish mud scattered up and down ; and to- 

 ward the edges, where it is a little firmer, are innu- 

 merable little openings, from which issue as many 

 small crabs of two or three different sorts, which 

 swarm upon the spot as flies upon a carcase ; but are 

 so nimble that, on being approached, they disappear 

 in an instant, and baffle even the natives to catch any 

 of them. 



" At this place is a work of art, which shows that 

 these people are capable of some design and perse- 

 verance when they mean to accomplish any thing. 

 This work begins, on one side, as a narrow cause- 

 way, which, becoming gradually broader, rises with 

 a gentle ascent to the height of ten feet, where it is 

 five paces broad, and the whole length seventy-four 

 paces. Joined to this is a sort of circus, whose dia- 

 meter is thirty paces, and not above a foot or two 

 higher than the causeway that joins it, with some 

 trees planted in the middle. On the opposite side, 

 another causewav of the same sort descends ; but 

 this is not above forty paces long, and is partly in 

 ruin. The whole is built with large coral stones, 

 with earth on the surface, which is quite overgrown 

 with low trees and shrubs ; and, from its decaying 

 in several places, seems to be of no modern date. 

 Whatever may have been its use formerly, it seems 

 to be of none now ; and all that we could learn of it 

 from the natives was, that it belonged to Poulaho, 

 and is called Etchee." 



On the 16th, in the morning, after visiting the 

 several works now carrying on ashore, Mr. Gore and 



