116 cook's second voyage SEPT. 



the ropes are made of the coarse filaments of the 

 plantain tree, twisted into cords of the thickness of 

 a finger ; and three or four more such cords, marled 

 together, serve them for shrouds, &c. I thought 

 they sailed very well ; but they are not at all calcu- 

 lated for rowing or paddling. Their method of pro- 

 ceeding, when they cannot sail, is by sculling ; and 

 for this purpose there are holes in the boarded 

 deck or platform. Through these they put the 

 sculls, which are of such a length, that, when the 

 blade is in the water, the loom or handle is four 

 or five feet above the deck. The man who works 

 it stands behind, and with both his hands sculls 

 the vessel forward. This method of proceeding 

 is very slow, and for this reason, the canoes are 

 but ill calculated for fishing, especially for striking of 

 turtle, which, I think, can hardly ever be done in 

 them. Their fishing implements, such as I have 

 seen, are turtle nets, made, I believe, of the fila- 

 ments of the plantain tree, twisted ; and small hand 

 nets, with very minute meshes made of fine twine 

 and fish gigs. Their general method of fishing, I 

 guess, is to lie on the reefs in shoal water, and to 

 strike the fish that may come in their way. They may, 

 however, have other methods, which we had no op- 

 portunity to see, as no boat went out while we were 

 here, all their time and attention being taken up 

 with us. Their canoes are about thirty feet long, and 

 the deck or platform about twenty-four in length and 

 ten in breadth. We had not, at this time, seen any 

 timber in the country so large as that of which their 

 canoes were made. It was observed, that the holes 

 made in the several parts, in order to sew them to- 

 gether, were burnt through, but with what instru- 

 ment we never learnt ; most probably it was of stone ; 

 which may be the reason why they were so fond of 

 large spikes, seeing at once they would answer this 

 purpose. I was convinced they were not wholly de- 

 signed for ec\o;e tools ; because every one showed a 



