220 cook's first voyage august, 



and made them enter deeper into what they struck. 

 To the northward, the lance has but one point : the 

 shaft is made of cane, or the stalk of a plant some- 

 what resembling a bulrush, very straight and light, 

 and from eight to fourteen feet long, consisting of 

 several joints, where the pieces are let into each 

 other, and bound together ; to this are fitted points 

 of different kinds ; some are of hard heavy wood, 

 and some are the bones of fish : we saw several that 

 were pointed with the stings of the sting-ray, the 

 largest that they could procure, and barbed with 

 several that were smaller, fastened on in a contrary 

 direction ; the points of wood were also sometimes 

 armed with sharp pieces of broken shells, which were 

 stuck in, and at the junctures covered with resin : 

 the lances that are thus barbed are indeed dreadful 

 weapons; for when once they have taken place, they 

 can never be drawn back without tearing away the 

 flesh, or leaving the sharp ragged splinters of the 

 bone or shell which forms the beard, behind them in 

 the wound. These weapons are thrown with great 

 force and dexterity : if intended to wound at a short 

 distance, between ten and twenty yards, simply with 

 the hand, but if at the distance of forty or fifty, with 

 an instrument which we called a throwing stick. 

 This is a plain smooth piece of a hard reddish wood, 

 very highly polished, about two inches broad, half 

 an inch thick, and three feet long, with a small knob, 

 or hook at one end, and a cross piece about three or 

 four inches long at the other : the knob at one end 

 is received in a small dent or hollow, which is made 

 for that purpose in the shaft of the lance near the 

 point, but from which it easily slips, upon being im- 

 pelled forward : when the lance is laid along upon 

 this machine, and secured in a proper position by 

 the knob, the person that is to throw it holds it over 

 his shoulder, and after shaking it, delivers both the 

 throwing stick and lance with all his force; but the 

 stick being stopped by the cross piece which comes 



