T H E P A C I F I C O C E A N. 309 



mode of education. For, even in the greateft parosyfms of '778- 

 their rage, they feem unable to exprefs it fufficiently, either 

 with warmth of language, or fignificancy of geftures. 



Their orations, which are made either when engaged irt 

 any altercation or difpute, or to explain their fentiments pub- 

 licly on other occafions, feem little more than fliort fentences, 

 or rather fingle words, forcibly repeated, and conftantly in 

 one tone and degree of ftrength, accompanied only with a 

 fmgle gcfture, which they ufc at every fentence, jerking" 

 their whole body a little forward, by bending the kneesf 

 their arms hanging down by their fides at the fame time. 



Though there be but too much reafon, from their bring- 

 ing to fale human flculls and bones, to infer that they treat 

 their enemies with a degree of brutal cruelty, this circum- 

 ftance rather marks a general agreement of charadlcr with 

 rhat of almoft every tribe of uncivilized man, in every age, 

 and in every part of the globe, than that they are to be re- 

 proached with any charge of peculiar inhumanity. Wc 

 had no reafon to judge unfavourably of their difpofuion in 

 this refpedt. They feem to be a docile, courteous, good- 

 natured people ; but notwithftanding the predominant 

 phlegm of their tempers, quick in refcnting what they look 

 upon as an injury ; and, like raoft other paflionate people, as 

 foon forgetting it. I never found that thcfe fits of paffion 

 went farther than the parties immediately concerned ; the- 

 fpedators not troubling themfelves about the quarrel, whe- 

 ther it was with any of us, or amongft their own body;, 

 and preferving as much indifTerence as if they had not 

 known any thing about it. I have often fccn one of them 

 rave and fcold, without any of his countrymen paying the 

 Icaft. attention to his agitation ; and when none of us could 

 7 trace 



