MANNERS AND CUSTOiMS. 



463 



a perilous situation, we ourselves 

 could sec no danger in what we 

 had done, and were ])roinpted to 

 it by far other motives than the 

 vanity of adventurous enterprise. 

 George, to wliom I wish to render 

 all the merit he deserves, however 

 I may dislike his appearance and 

 manner, was, 1 must say, parti- 

 cularly attentive to us, and wished 

 to make us as comfortable as he 

 possibly could. At his particular 

 request, we laid ourselves down 

 to sleep beside himself and his 

 wife, Mr. Marsden being on one 

 side, and I on the other. The 

 ground was our bed, and we had 

 no other covering than the clothes 

 we wore; while stretched at full 

 length under the broad canopy of 

 heaven, we prepared for repose, 

 and feared not to close our eyes in 

 the very centre of these cannibals. 

 They proved themselves worthy of 

 such confidence, and in no instance 

 did there appear the least disposi- 

 tion to take advantage of it. I 

 slept tolerably well for some part 

 of the night, and awaking at the 

 dawn of day, a scene, the strang- 

 est that can be imagined, present- 

 ed itself to my view. An immense 

 number of human beings, men, 

 women, and children, some half 

 naked, and others loaded with fan- 

 taitic finery, were all stretched 

 ah)out me in every direction ; while 

 the warriors, with their spears 

 stuck in the ground, and their 

 other weapons lying beside them, 

 were either peeping out from un- 

 der their kakahows, or shaking 

 from oflF their dripping head? the 

 heavy dew that had fallen in the 

 night. Before sun-rise they were 

 all up, and being invigorated and 

 refreshed by that profound sleep 

 which healtii is always sure to in- 



vite, they rose with lively spirits 

 to their desultory pursuits, and 

 spentno timein lethargic slumbers. 

 Our next object was to proceed 

 vip the Cowa-cowa, to the part of 

 the island where timber is found 

 in the greatest abundance. It was 

 therefore determined that Mr. 

 Marsden and myself, together 

 with Mr. Kendall and Mr. Hall, 

 should set out without loss of 

 time, in order to engage the na- 

 tives to cut down as much timber 

 as would be necessary for our pur- 

 pose, and bi-ing it iiy the usual 

 conveyance to the vessel. We 

 rowed to the head of tlie cove, 

 which is about five miles from the 

 place where the ship was lying at 

 anchor, and is navigable to this 

 distance for small vessels, and then 

 came to some extensive flats, 

 which though inundated with the 

 tide, are always dry at low water, 

 except the small channel thiough 

 which the Cowa-cowa discharges 

 itself into the cove. We now en- 

 tered the open river, and rowing 

 up along its smooth surface for 

 about ten miles, the scenery on 

 either side was bold and attractive. 

 On whatever part we turned our 

 eyes, a rich and romantic prospect 

 invited our attention, and the river, 

 taking a serpentine course, offered 

 to our view at every new turning, 

 a delightful variety of picturesque 

 images. The tide, which rises in 

 this river about four feet, might 

 render it navigable to some dis- 

 tance for small craft, were the 

 fallen timber cleared away, with 

 which its channel is occasionally 

 obstructed ; a work, I should 

 think, of no great labour, though 

 of obvious vitility in the event of 

 a more regular intercourse with 

 the island. If the accounts given 



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