428 cook's voyage to july, 



They used to express their sense of their own inferior- 

 ity to the Feejee men, by bending the body forward, 

 and covering the face with their hands. And it is 

 no wonder that they should be under this dread ; 

 for those of Feejee are formidable on account of the 

 dexterity with which they use their bows and slings; 

 but much more so, on account of the savage practice 

 to which they are addicted, like those of New Zea- 

 land, of eating their enemies whom they kill in battle. 

 We were satisfied that this was not a misrepresent- 

 ation. For we met with several Feejee people at 

 Tongataboo, and, on inquiring of them, they did not 

 deny the charge. 



Now that I am again led to speak of cannibals, let 

 me ask those who maintain that the want of food 

 first brings men to feed on human flesh, what is it 

 that induceth the Feejee people to keep it up in the 

 midst of plenty ? This practice is detested very much 

 by those of Tongataboo, who cultivate the friendship 

 of their savage neighbours of Feejee, apparently out 

 of fear ; though they sometimes venture to skirmish 

 with them on their own ground ; and carry off red 

 feathers as their booty, which are in great plenty 

 there, and, as has been frequently mentioned, are in 

 great estimation amongst our Friendly Islanders. 

 When the two islands are at peace, the intercourse 

 between them seems to be pretty frequent ; though 

 they have, doubtless, been but lately known to each 

 other ; or we may suppose that Tongataboo and its 

 adjoining islands would have been supplied, before 

 this, with a breed of dogs which abound at Feejee, 

 and had not been introduced at Tongataboo so late as 

 1773, when I first visited it. The natives of Feejee, 

 whom we met with here, were of a colour that was a 

 full shade darker than that of the inhabitants of the 

 Friendly Islands in general. One of them had his 

 left ear slit, and the lobe was so distended, that it 

 almost reached his shoulder ; which singularity I had 

 met with at other islands of the South Sea during my 



