THIRD VOYAGE 317 



durst not venture out to the ships in their canoes. In the 

 evening of next day I sent the master in .a boat up to 

 the south-east head or point of the island to try if he 

 could land under it. He returned with a favourable report, 

 but it was too late now to send for our party till the next 

 morning ; and thus they had another night to improve their 

 intercourse with the natives. 



" Encouraged by the master's report, I went myself with 

 the pinnace and launch up to the point to bring the party 

 on board, taking with me a ram-goat and two ewes, a boar 

 and sow-pig of the English breed, and the seeds of melons, 

 pumpkins, and onions, being very desirous of benefiting 

 these poor people by furnishing them with some additional 

 articles of food. I found my party already there with some 

 of the natives in company. To one of them, whom Mr. 

 Gore had observed assuming some command, I gave the 

 goats, pigs, and seeds. 



" The ground through which I passed was in a state of 

 nature, very stony, and the soil seemed poor. It was, 

 however, covered with shrubs and plants, some of which 

 perfumed the air with a more delicious fragrancy than I 

 had met with at any other of the islands in this ocean. 

 The habitations of the natives were thinly scattered about, 

 and it was supposed that there could not be more than 

 five hundred people upon the island. Our people had an 

 opportunity of observing the method of living amongst the 

 natives, and it appeared to be decent and cleanly. They 

 did not, however, see any instance of the men and women 

 eating together, and the latter seemed generally associated 

 in companies by themselves. It was found that they burnt 

 here the oily nuts of the dooe dooe for lights in the night, 

 as at Otaheite, and that they baked their hogs in ovens. 

 A particular veneration seemed to be paid here to owls, 

 which they have very tame ; and it was observed to 

 be a pretty general practice amongst them to pull out 

 one of their teeth, for which odd custom, when asked the 

 reason, the only answer that could be got was, that it was 

 teeha. 



" On Monday, the 2nd of February, we stood away to 

 the northward, in prosecution of our voyage. Our ship 

 procured from these islands provisions sufficient for three 

 weeks at least ; and Captain Clerke, more fortunate, 

 obtained of their vegetable productions a supply that 

 lasted his people upwards of two months. 



" It is worthy of observation, that the islands in the 

 Pacific Ocean, which our late voyages have added to the 

 geography of the globe, have been generally found lying 

 in groups or clusters, the single intermediate islands, as 



