284 VOYAGE IN SEARCH 



occafionally they turn it up with a binder made of 

 the bark of trees. Their ikin, which is of a light 

 black, is fometimes painted with red in different 

 parts of the body, and efpecially the face. 



We law in their poffefiion neither bows, nor 

 clubs, but only fome darts from a meter and a 

 half to two meters long. (See Plate XXXV1U. 

 Fig- 25.) The volcanic ftone with which theft- 

 were armed was fharp on each edge, and its whole 

 length was three fourths of a decimeter : this agate 

 was fixed at one of the ends of the dart, where ft 

 was faftened by means of a cord covered with a 

 fpecies of mafiic 



This weapon mud be dangerous among a peo- 

 ple who wear no clothing. Their Ikin being 

 conftantly naked, mud, particularly in the parts 

 where it is a little diilended, be eafily penetrated 

 by fo fharp a ftone. 



Perhaps this volcanic (lone is not very common 

 at the Admiralty J Hands, for thefe favages had 

 alfo other darts tipped with a fharp piece of wood 

 in lieu of agate. 



Several had in the feptum of the nofe a hole 

 bored, through which they had parted a firing, 

 at the extremities of which were fufpended fome 

 eye-teeth, twice as long as thofe of a man. One 

 of the favages who wore this ornament withed to 

 difpofe of it : a chief, in cutting with a piece of 

 volcanic ftone the (hort ftring to which it was 



hanging, 



