THEPACIFICOCEAN. 283 



drawn up in a body above half an hour, about two or three »778- 

 hundred yards from the fhips. At firft, we thought, that '— -,,— 1/ 

 they were afraid to come nearer ; but we were miftaken in 

 this, and they were only preparing an introdu(5lory cere- 

 mony. On advancing toward the fliips, they all flood up in 

 their canoes, and began to fing. Some of their fongs, in 

 which the whole body joined, were in allow, and others in 

 in quicker time; and they accompanied their notes with 

 the moil regular motions of their hands ; or beating in con- 

 cert, with their paddles, on the fides of the canoes ; and 

 making other very expreflive gellures. At the end of each 

 fong, they remained filent a few feconds, and then began 

 again, fometimcs pronouncing the word hooee ! forcibly, as 

 a chorus. After entertaining us with this fpecimen of their 

 mulic, which we liflened to with admiration, for above half 

 an hour, they came along fide the Ihips, and bartered what 

 they had to difpofe of. Some of our old friends of the 

 Sound, were now found to be amongft ihcm ; and they took 

 the .whole management of the traffic between us and the 

 flrangcrs, much to the advantage of the latter. 



Our attendance on thefe vifitcrs being finiflicd, Captain 

 Clerke and I went, in the forenoon, with two boats, to the 

 village at the Well point of the Sound. When 1 was there 

 the day before, I had obferved, that plenty of grafs grew 

 near it ; and it was necclTary to lay in a quantity of this, as 

 food for the few goats and flieep which were Hill left on 

 board. The inhabitants received us with the fame demon- 

 (Irations of friendfliip which 1 had experienced before; and 

 the moment we landed, I ordered fome of my people to be- 

 gin their operation of cutting. I had not the Icall imagina- 

 tion, that the natives could make any objciftion to our fur- 

 nilhing ourfelves with what fcemcd to be of no ufe to them, 



O o « but 



