1769. ROUND THE WORLD. 253 



man jaw-bones : we had already learnt that these, 

 like scalps among the Indians of North America, 

 were trophies of war. Tupia affirmed that they were 

 the jaw-bones of the natives of this island : if so, 

 they might have been hung up, with the model of a 

 canoe, as a symbol of invasion, by the warriors of 

 Bolabola, as a memorial of their conquest. 



Night now came on apace, but Mr. Banks and 

 Dr. Solander continued their walk along the shore, 

 and at a little distance saw another Evvharre-no-Eatua, 

 and a tree of the fig kind, the same as that which 

 Mr. Green had seen at Otaheite, in great perfec- 

 tion, the trunk, or rather congeries of the roots of 

 which was forty-two paces in circumference. 



On the 2ist, having dispatched the master in the 

 long-boat to examine the coast of the south part of 

 the island, and one of the mates in the yawl, to 

 sound the harbour where the ship lay, I went myself 

 in the pinnace, to survey that part of the island 

 which lies to the north. Mr. Banks and the gentle- 

 men were again on shore, trading with the natives, 

 and examining the products and curiosities of the 

 country ; they saw nothing, however, worthy notice, 

 but some more jaw-bones, of which they made no 

 doubt but that the account they had heard was true. 



On the 22d and 23d, having strong gales and hazy 

 weather, I did not think it safe to put to sea ; but 

 on the 24th, though the wind was still variable, I got 

 under sail, and plied to the northward within the 

 reef, with a view to go out at a wider opening 

 than that by which I had entered j in doing this, 

 however, I was unexpectedly in the most imminent 

 danger of striking on the rock : the master, whom 

 I had ordered to keep continually sounding in the 

 chains, suddenly called out " two fathom." This 

 alarmed me, for though I knew the ship drew at 

 least fourteen feet, and that therefore it was impos- 

 sible such a shoal should be under her keel ; yet the 

 master was either mistaken, or she went along the 



