180 cook's voyage to JAN*. 



holes, than any thing their own country produced. 

 They asked for it by the name of hamaite, probably 

 referring to some instrument, in the making of which 

 iron could be usefully employed; for they applied 

 that name to the blade of a knife, though we could 

 be certain that they had no idea of that particular 

 instrument ; nor could they at all handle it properly. 

 For the same reason, they frequently called iron by 

 the name of toe, which in their language signifies a 

 hatchet, or rather a kind of adze. On asking them 

 what iron was, they immediately answered, " We do 

 not know ; you know what it is, and we only under- 

 stand it as toe, or hamaite." When we shewed them 

 some beads, they asked first, " What they were ; 

 and then, whether they should eat them ?" But on 

 their being told, that they were to be hung in their 

 ears, they returned them as useless. They were 

 equally indifferent as to a looking-glass, which was 

 offered them, and returned it, for the same reason ; 

 but sufficiently expressed their desire for hamaite and 

 toe, which they wished might be very large. Plates 

 of earthen-ware, china cups, and other such things, 

 were so new to them, that they asked if they were 

 made of wood ; but wished to have some, that they 

 might carry them to be looked at on shore. They 

 were in some respects naturally well bred ; or, at 

 least, fearful of giving offence, asking, where they 

 should sit down, whether they might spit upon the 

 deck, and the like. Some of them repeated a long 

 prayer before they came on board ; and others, after- 

 ward, sung and made motions with their hands, such 

 as we had been accustomed to see in the dances of 

 the islands we had lately visited. There was another 

 circumstance in which they also perfectly resembled 

 those other islanders. At first, on their entering the 

 ship, they endeavoured to steal every thing they 

 came near : or rather to take it openly, as what we 

 either should not resent, or not hinder. We soon 

 convinced them of their mistake ; and if thev, after 



