THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 2 



great, I would not allow the fentries to fire, left the inno- ^m- 



n -r- June. 



cent lliould fuiier for the guilty. They once, at noon day, ' ^— ^ 



ventured to aim at taking an anchor from oil the Difcovery's 

 bows ; and they would certainly have fucceeded, if the flook 

 had not hooked one of the chain plates in lowering down the 

 fhip's fide, from which they could not difengage it by hand; 

 and tackles were things they were unacquainted with. 

 The only a£l of violence they were guilty of, was the break- 

 ing the fhoulder bone of one of ou^ goats, fo that fhe died 

 foon after. This lofs fell upon themfelves, as fhe was one 

 of thofe that I intended to leave upon the iftand ; but of 

 this, the perfon who did it, was ignorant. 



Early in the morning of the 1 8th, an incident happened, Wednef. 18. 

 that Itrongly marked one of their cuftoms. A man got out 

 of a canoe into the quarter gallery of the Refolution, and 

 flole from thence a pewter bafon. He was difcovered, pur- 

 fued, and brought along-fide the fhip. On this occafion, 

 three old women, who were in the canoe, made loud la- 

 mentations over the prifoner, beating their breafts and faces 

 in a moft violent manner, with the infide of their fifts ; and 

 all this was done without fliedding a tear. This mode of 

 exprefTing grief is what occafions the mark Vt^hich almoft 

 all this people bear on the face, over the cheek bones. The 

 repeated blows which they infii(ft upon this part, abrade the 

 fldn, and make even the blood flow out in a confiderable 

 quantity ; and when the wounds are recent, they look as if 

 a hollov/ circle had been burnt in. On many occafions, 

 they adually cut this part of the face with an inftrument; 

 in the fame manner as the people of Otaheite cut their 

 heads. 



This day, I bcftowed on Marcevv^agee fomc prcfents, in 

 return for thofe we had received from him the day before; 



<^q 2 and 



199 



