1779. THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 65 



arm ; and it is impossible to describe the horror 

 which seized us, on finding in it a piece of human 

 flesh, about nine or ten pounds' weight. This, he 

 said, was all that remained of the body ; that the rest 

 was cut to pieces, and burnt ; but that the head and 

 all the bones, except what belonged to the trunk, 

 were in the possession of Terreeoboo, and the other 

 Erees : that what we saw had been allotted to Kaoo, 

 the chief of the priests, to be made use of in some 

 religious ceremony ; and that he had sent it as a 

 proof of his innocence and attachment to us. 



This afforded an opportunity of informing our- 

 selves, whether they were cannibals ; and we did not 

 neglect it. We first tried, by many indirect ques- 

 tions, put to each of them apart, to learn in what 

 manner the rest of the bodies had been disposed of; 

 and finding them very constant in one story, that, 

 after the flesh had been cut off, it was all burnt ; we 

 at last put the direct question, Whether they had not 

 ate some of it? They immediately showed as much 

 horror at the idea, as any European would have done; 

 and asked, very naturally, if that was the custom 

 amongst us ? They afterward asked us, with great 

 earnestness and apparent apprehension, " When the 

 Orono would come again ? and what he would do to 

 them on his return ?" The same inquiry was fre- 

 quently made afterward by others ; and this idea 

 agrees with the general tenor of their conduct to- 

 ward him, which showed that they considered him 

 as a being of a superior nature. 



We pressed our two friendly visitors to remain on 

 board till morning, but in vain. They told us, that 

 if this transaction should come to the knowledge of 

 the king, or chiefs, it might be attended with the 

 most fatal consequences to their whole society ; in 

 order to prevent which, they had been obliged to 

 come off to us in the dark ; and that the same pre- 

 caution would be necessary in returning on shore. 

 They informed us farther, that the chiefs were eager 



VOL. VII. F 



