196 A V O Y A G E T O 



•777- remaining on the face and other parts. In proportion to 

 the number of people afTembled, there appeared not many 

 old men or women ; which may eafily be accounted for, by 

 fuppofing that fuch as were in an advanced period of life, 

 might neither have the inclination, nor the ability, to come 

 from the more didant parts of the ifland. On the other 

 hand, the children were numerous; and both thefe, and the 

 men, climbed the trees to look at us, when we were hid by 

 the furrounding crowd. 



About a third part of the men were armed with clubs and 

 fpears j and, probably, thefe were only the perfons who 

 had come from a diftance, as many of them had fmall baf- 

 kets, mats, and other things, faflened to the ends of therr 

 •weapons. The clubs were generally about fix feet long, 

 made of a hard black wood, lance-fliaped at the end, but 

 much broader, v/ith the edge nicely fcolloped, and the whole 

 neatly poliflied. Others of them were narrower at the 

 point, much fliorter, and plain ; and fome were even fb 

 fmall, as to.be ufed with one hand. The fpears were made 

 of the fame wood, limply pointed; and, in general, above 

 twelve feet long ; though fome were fo fliort, that they 

 feemed intended to be thrown as darts. 



The place where we were all the day, was under the 

 ihade of various trees ; in which they preferved their 

 canoes from the fun. About eight or ten of them were 

 here, all double ones ; that is, two fmgle ones faflened toge- 

 ther (as is ufual, throughout the whole extent of the Pacific 

 Ocean), by rafters laflied acrofs. They were about twenty 

 feet long, about four feet deep, and the fides rounded with 

 a plank raifed upon them, which was faflened flrongly by 

 means of withes. Two of thefe canoes were mofl curioufly 



ftained^ 



