1774. ROUND THE WORLD. 115 



the district we were at, and Tea Booma the chief. 

 lie Jived on the other side of the ridge of hills, so 

 that we had but little of his company, and therefore 

 could not see much of his power. Tea seems a title 

 prefixed to the names of all or most of their chiefs or 

 great men. My friend honoured me by calling me 

 Tea Cook. 



They deposit their dead in the ground. I saw 

 none of their burying-places ; but several of the 

 gentlemen did. In one, they were informed, lay the 

 remains of a chiefi who was slain in battle ; and his 

 grave, which bore some resemblance to a large mole- 

 hill, was decorated with spears, darts, paddles, &c. 

 all stuck upright in the ground round about it. 



The canoes which these people use, are somewhat 

 like those of the Friendly Isles : but the most heavy, 

 clumsy vessels I ever saw. They are what I call 

 double canoes, made out of two large trees hollowed 

 out, having a raised gunnel about two inches high, 

 and closed at each end with a kind of bulk head of the 

 same height ; so that the whole is like a long square 

 trough, about three feet shorter than the body of the 

 canoe ; that is, a foot and an half at each end. Two 

 canoes, thus fitted, are secured to each other, about 

 three feet asunder, by means of cross spars, which 

 project about a foot over each side. Over these 

 spars is laid a deck or very heavy platform, made of 

 plank and small round spars, on which they have a 

 fire hearth, and generally a fire burning ; and they 

 carry a pot or jar to dress their victuals in. The space 

 between the two canoes is laid with plank, and the 

 rest with spars. On one side of the deck, and close 

 to the edge, is fixed a row of knees, pretty near to 

 each other, the use of which is to keep the mast, 

 yards, &c. from rolling over-board. They are navi- 

 gated by one or two latteen sails, extended to a small 

 latteen yard, the end of which fixes in a notch or 

 hole in the deck. The foot of the sail is extended to a 

 small boom. The sail is composed of pieces of matting, 



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