384 cook's first voyage jan. 



people almost unnecessary: there was, however, one 

 slight pallisade, and one small fighting-stage, towards 

 that part of the rock where access was least difficult. 



The people here brought us out several human 

 bones, the flesh of which they had eaten, and offered 

 them to sale; for the curiosity of those among us 

 who had purchased them as memorials of the horrid 

 practice which many, notwithstanding the reports of 

 travellers, have professed not to believe, had i-endered 

 them a kind of article of trade. In one part of this 

 village, we observed, not without some surprise, a 

 cross exactly like that of a crucifix; it was adorned 

 with feathers, and upon our inquiring for what pur- 

 pose it had been set up, we were told that it was a 

 monument for a man who was dead: we had before 

 understood that their dead were not buried, but 

 thrown into the sea; but to our inquiry how the body 

 of the man had been disposed of, to whose memory 

 this cross had been erected, they refused to answer. 



When we left these people, we went to the other 

 end of the island, and there taking water, crossed 

 over to the main, where we saw several houses, but 

 no inhabitants, except a few in some straggling 

 canoes, that seemed to be fishing. After viewing 

 this place, we returned on board the ship to dinner. 



During our visit to the Indians this day, Tupia 

 being always of our party, they had been observed 

 to be continually talking of guns, and shooting 

 people : for this subject of their conversation we 

 could not at all account ; and it had so much en- 

 gaged our attention, that we talked of it all the way 

 back, and even after we got on board the ship : we 

 had perplexed ourselves with various conjectures, 

 which were all given up in their turn ; but now we 

 learnt, that on the 21st one of our officers, upon 

 pretence of going out to fish, had rowed up to the 

 Hippah, and that two or three canoes coming off 

 towards his boat, his fears suggested that an attack 

 was intended, in consequence of which three muskets 



