17'C9. ROUND THE WORLD. S49 



In the night we had variable light airs ; but to- 

 wards the morning, a breeze sprung np at S. and 

 afterwards at S. E. with wliich we proceeded slowly 

 to the northward, along the shore. 



Between six and seven o'clock, two canoes came 

 oft', and told us that they had heard of yesterday's 

 adventure, notwithstanding which th(j people came 

 on board, and traded very quietly and honestly for 

 whatever they had : soon after two canoes came off 

 from a more distant part of the shore ; these were of 

 a much larger size and full of people : when they 

 came near, tliey called off the other canoes which 

 were along side of the ship, and after a short confer- 

 ence they all came up together. The strangers ap- 

 peared to be persons of a superior rank ; their canoes 

 were well carved with many ornaments, and they 

 had with them a great variety of weapons : they had 

 patoo-patoos both of stone and whalebone, upon which 

 they appeared to set a great value ; they had also 

 ribs of whale, of which we had before seen imitations 

 in wood, carved and adorned with tufts of dog's hair. 

 Their complexions were browner than those of the 

 people we had seen to the southward, and their 

 bodies and faces were more marked with the black 

 stains which they call Amoco : they had a broad 

 spiral on each buttock ; and the thighs of many of 

 them were almost entirely black, some narrow lines 

 only being left untouched, so that at first sight they 

 appeared to wear striped breeches. With respect to 

 the Amoco, every different tribe seemed to have a 

 different custom ; for all the men, in some cances, 

 seemed to be almost covered with it, and those in 

 others had scarcely a stain, except on the lips, 

 which were black in all of them, without a single ex- 

 ception. These gentlemen, for a long time, refu^ied 

 to part with any of their weapons, whatever vv^as 

 offered for them ; at last, however, one of them pro- 

 duced a piece of talc, wrought into the shape of an 

 axe, and agreed to sell it for a piece of cloth : the 



