CAPTAIN TUCKEY'S NARRATIVE. 139 



by a space from the men and boys. Though not one of them 

 had ever seen a white man, they did not seem to feel any 

 timidity, but on the contrary we had abundant opportunity 

 of discovering that, as far as depended on themsehes, they 

 were perfect Otaheitans in their manners. One woman we 

 saw spinning cotton for a fishing net exactly in the manner 

 the French women do while tending their sheep. 



The latter part of our journe}^ as we again approached 

 the river, was even worse than our road going, being 

 obliged to ascend and descend a succession of hills, of 

 smooth rocks, so nearlj^ perpendicular, that it required 

 almost the legs of flies to crawl over them, and here 

 the natives had greatly the advantage of us, the soles of 

 their naked feet seizing hold of the rock, while our shoes 

 slipped over them and threatened us every moment with a 

 fall that would not have been without danger ; at length we 

 jreached the boats at 4 o'clock extremely fatigued, though 

 the distance of the banza is not more than three miles in a 

 direct line from the river, but by the circuitous route we 

 took, could not be less than seven or eight. 



The most striking features of the country we passed 

 over are the extreme barrenness of the hills near the river, 

 the whole being still composed of slate with masses of 

 quartz, and sienite, the latter becoming the main for- 



