l83 VOYAGE IN SEARCH 



celebrated navigator, had prevented others from 

 prefcrving fo agreeable a recollection of him ; 

 thefe never fpoke to us about him but to com- 

 plain of the harflinefs of the treatment which 

 he had made them experience. In fadl, al- 

 though mention is made of only one man being 

 wounded in the thigh by a mufket fhot j we 

 faw another whofe flioulder had been pierced 

 by a ball, and he alTured us that he had received 

 this wound during Cook's laft flay at Tonga- 

 taboo. 



The inhabitants of the Friendly Iflands are 

 in general tall and well made, for which they 

 are no doubt principally indebted to the abun- 

 dance and the good quality of their food. The 

 fine make of thefe iflanders is not injured by 

 hard labour. Their mufcles being flrongly 

 marked, we prefumed that they were very ftout; 

 but the idle life which they lead renders them 

 incapable of making great efforts; and indeed 

 when they made a trial of their flrength with 

 our failors, they almoft always had the difad- 

 vantage. 



The men, as well as the women, have a cuftom 

 of cutting off one or two of the joints of the 

 little finger, and fometimes of the third finger, 

 with a view of curing themfelves of ferious 

 difordcrs. 



Moft of them are tatooed in every part of the 



bodvc 



