82 OTAHITE CHAP, v 



liniment was applied, but with what result I never took the 

 trouble to inquire. 



Hercules to-day gave us a specimen of the music of this 

 country ; four people performed upon flutes, which they 

 sounded with one nostril, while they stopped the other 

 with their thumbs : to these four others sang, keeping very 

 good time, but during half an hour they played only one 

 tune, consisting of not more than five or six notes ; more I 

 am inclined to think they have not upon their instruments, 

 which have only two stops. 



23rd. Mr. Green and myself went to-day a little way 

 upon the hills in order to see how the roads were. Lycurgus 

 went with us, but complained much at the ascent, saying 

 that it would kill him. We found as far as we went, 

 possibly three miles, exceedingly good paths, and at the end 

 of our walk we met boys bringing wood from the mountains, 

 which we look upon as a proof that the journey will be very 

 easy whenever we attempt to go higher. 



We had this evening some conversation about an axe 

 which was brought in the morning by Hercules to be ground. 

 It was very different from our English ones, and several gentle- 

 men were of opinion that it was French. Some went so far 

 as to give it as their opinion that some other ship had been 

 here since the Dolphin. The difficulty, however, appeared 

 to be easily solved by supposing axes to have been taken in 

 the Dolphin for trade, in which case old ones of any make 

 might have been bought, for many such I suppose there are 

 in every old iron shop in London. 



25th. I do not know by what accident I have so long 

 omitted to mention how much these people are given to 

 thieving. I will make up for my neglect to-day, however, by 

 saying that great and small, chiefs and common men, all are 

 firmly of opinion that if they can once get possession of 

 anything it immediately becomes their own. This we were 

 convinced of the very second day we were here ; the chiefs 

 were employed in stealing what they could in the cabin, 

 while their dependents took everything that was loose 

 about the ship, even the glass ports not escaping them, of 





