28 VOYAGE IN SEARCH 



I cannot, however, affirm, that ideas of fhame 

 had no fhare in their adopting this fantaftical de- 

 coration ; for when they detached this fhell to fell 

 it to us, they failed not to turn about and cover 

 their genitals, by letting down their girdle ; but 

 thofe who wore no girdle, having nothing where- 

 with to conceal their parts, took ofTtheir fhell with- 

 out any ceremony. Thefe people, very different 

 from many other inhabitants of the South Sea, 

 leave the prepuce all the extent which it has 

 received from Nature. It was eafy to fee that the 

 compreffion of the fhell on the upper part of the 

 prepuce, frequently caufes on it a very confpicu- 

 ous tumour : this tumour is fometimes of a white 

 colour, the reticular texture of the fkin having 

 been deftroyed in confequence of an inflammation 

 occafioned by the compreffion. It fhould feera 

 that it is necefTary to have attained a certain age 

 to wear this fhell, for the only boy that we faw 

 was the only perfon who wore none. 



The great number of canoes by which we were 

 furrounded prevented fevcral from coming near 

 our fhip ; but fome of the paddlers jumped over- 

 board and fwam to bring us their articles of traf- 

 fic. Thefe iflanders preferred bits of iron, what- 

 ever might be their fhape, to every thing that we 

 could offer them ; they fo well diftinguifhed this 

 metal from every other fubftance, that even the 

 ruft did not prevent them from recognifing it. 



I imagined 



