1769. ROUND THE WORLD. 335 



formed when they were sober, but whicli, while 

 they continued so, they did not dare to undertake. 



On the side of the hill, near this in closure, we saw 

 about half an acre planted with gourds and sweet 

 potatoes, which was the only cultivation in the bay : 

 under the foot of the point upon which this fortifica- 

 tion stands, are two rocks, one just broken off from 

 the main, and the other not perfectly detached from 

 it : they are both small, and seem more proper for 

 the habitations of birds than men ; yet there are 

 houses and places of defence upon each of them. 

 And we saw many other works of the same kind 

 upon small islands, rocks, and ridges of hills, on dif- 

 ferent parts of the coast, besides many fortified 

 towns, which appeared to be much superior to this. 



The perpetual hostility in which these poor sa- 

 vages, who have made every village a fort, must 

 necessarily live, will account for there being so little 

 of their land in a state of cultivation ; and, as mis- 

 chiefs very often reciprocally produce each other, it 

 may perhaps appear, that there being so little land 

 in a state of cultivation, will account for their living 

 in perpetual hostility. But it is very strange, that 

 the same invention and diligence which have been 

 used in the construction of places so admirably 

 adapted to defence, almost without tools, should not, 

 when urged by the same necessity, have furnished 

 them with a single missile weapon except the lance, 

 which is thrown by hand ; they have no contrivance 

 like a bow to discharge a dart, nor any thing like a 

 sling to assist them in throwing a stone ; which is 

 the more surprising, as the invention of slings, and 

 bows and arrows, is much more obvious than of the 

 works which these people construct, and both these 

 weapons are found among much ruder nations, and 

 in almost every other part of the world. Besides the 

 long lance and Patoo-patoo, which have been men- 

 tioned already, they have a staff about five feet long, 



