258 cook's first voyage august, 



of it. Men, women, and children, crowded round 

 them, and followed them wherever they went ; but 

 none of them were guilty of the least incivility : on 

 the contrary, whenever there happened to be dirt or 

 water in the way, the men vied with each other to 

 carry them over on their backs. They were con- 

 ducted to the houses of the principal people, and 

 were received in a manner altogether new : the peo- 

 ple, who followed them while they were in their way, 

 rushed forward as soon as they came to a house, and 

 went hastily in before them, leaving however a lane 

 sufficiently wide for them to pass. When they en- 

 tered, they found those who had preceded them 

 ranged on each side of a long matt, which was spread 

 upon the ground, and at the farther end of which 

 sat the family : in the first house they entered, they 

 found some very young women or children, dressed 

 with the utmost neatness, who kept their station, ex- 

 pecting the strangers to come up to them and make 

 them presents, which they did with the greatest plea- 

 sure ; for prettier children, or better dressed, they had 

 never seen. One of them was a girl about six years 

 old ; her gown or upper garment was red ; a large 

 quantity of platted hair was wound round her head, 

 the ornament to which they give the name of Tamou, 

 and which they value more than any thing they pos- 

 sess. She sat at the upper end of a matt thirty feet 

 long, upon which none of the spectators presumed to 

 set a foot, notwithstanding the crowd ; and she leaned 

 upon the arm of a well-looking woman about thirty, 

 who was probably her nurse. Our gentlemen walked 

 up to her, and as soon as they approached, she 

 stretched out her hand to receive the beads which they 

 offered her, and no princess in Europe could have 

 done it with a better grace. 



The people were so much gratified by the presents 

 which were made to these girls, that when Mr. 

 Banks and Dr. Solander returned, they seemed atten- 

 tive to nothing but how to oblige them : and in one 



