r>86 AVOYAGETO 



o 



1777' flrain many from falline into the fame error. That I have 



July. , . 



afligned the true motive for their propenfity to this pra6tice, 

 appears from their fteaUng every thing indifcriminately at 

 iirft light, before they could have the leafl conception of 

 converting their prize to any one ufeful purpofe. But, I 

 believe, with us, no perfon would forfeit his reputation, or 

 expofe himfelf to punifliment, without knowing, before 

 hand, how to employ the ftolen goods. Upon the whole, 

 the pilfering difpofition of thefe iflanders, though certainly 

 difagreeable and troublefome to flrangers, was the means 

 of affording us fome information as to the quicknefs of 

 their intelledls. For their fmall thefts were committed with 

 much dexterity ; and thofe of greater confequence with a 

 plan or fcheme fuited to the importance of the objedls. An 

 extraordinary inflance of the laft fort, their attempts to 

 carry away one of the Difcovery's anchors, at raid-day, 

 has been already related. 



Their hair is, in general, ftraight, thick, and ftrong ; 

 though a few have it bulliy or frizzled. The natural co- 

 lour, I believe, almofl wiihout exception, is black; but the 

 greareft part of the men, and fome of the women, have it 

 Itained of a brown, or purple colour; and a few of an 

 orange caft. The firft colour is produced by applying a 

 fort of plafter of burnt coral, mixed with water ; the fe- 

 cond, by the rafpings of a reddidi wood, which is made 

 up wiih water* into a poultice, and laid over the hairj and 

 the third is, I believe, the effedl of tunjieric root. 



When I firft vifited thefe iflands, I thought it had been an 

 univerfal cuflom for both men and women to wear the hair 

 Ihort ; but, during our prelent longer ftay, we faw a great 

 many exceptions. Indeed, they are fo whimfical in their fa- 

 shions 



