202 COOK S FIRST VOYAGE 1769. 



would not have related it upon my own single testi- 

 mony ; but Mr. Banks, Dr. Solander, and most of 

 the other gentlemen, have had ocular demonstration 

 of its truth, and know that I mention them upon the 

 occasion. 



It is very wonderful that these people, who are 

 remarkably fond of society, and particularly that of 

 their women, should exclude its pleasures from the 

 table, where among all other nations, whether civil 

 or savage, they have been principally enjoyed. How 

 a meal, which every where else brings families and 

 friends together, came to separate them here, we 

 often enquired, but could never learn. They eat 

 alone, they said, because it was right ; but why it 

 was right to eat alone they never attempted to tell 

 us: such, however, was the force of habit, that they 

 expressed the strongest dislike, and even disgust, at 

 our eating in society, especially with our women, and 

 of the same victuals. At first, we thought this 

 strange singularity arose from some superstitious opi- 

 nion 'y but they constantly affirmed the contrary. We 

 observed also some caprices in the custom, for which 

 we could as little account as for the custom itself. 

 We could never prevail with any of the women to 

 partake of the victuals at our table when we were 

 dining in company ; yet they would go, ^ve or six 

 together, into the servants' apartments, and there eat 

 very heartily of whatever they could find, of which 

 I have before given a particular instance ; nor were 

 they in the least disconcerted if we came in v/hile 

 they were doing it. When any of us have been alone 

 with a woman, she has sometimes eaten in our com- 

 pany ; but then she has expressed the greatest unwil- 

 lingness that it should be known, and always extorted 

 the strongest promises of secrecy. 



Among themselves, even two brothers and two sis- 

 ters have each their separate baskets, with provision 

 and the apparatus of their meal. When they first 

 visited us at our tents, each brought his basket with 



