JULY 1769 NATIVE BOATS 115 



came on apace, but Dr. Solander and I walked along shore 

 a little way, and saw an Ewharre no Eatua, the under part of 

 which was lined with a row of jaw-bones. These, we were 

 told, were also those of Ulhietea men. We saw also cocoa- 

 nut trees, the stems of which were hung round with nuts, 

 so that no part could be seen ; these, we were told, were 

 put there to dry a little, and be prepared for making poe. 

 A tree of Ficus prolixa was in great perfection ; the trunk, 

 or rather congeries of small roots, being forty-two paces in 

 circumference. 



21 st. Dr. Solander and I walked out this morning and 

 saw many boat-houses like that described at Huahine 

 (p. Ill); on these the inhabitants were at work, making 

 and repairing the large canoes called by them Pahie, at 

 which business they worked with incredible cleverness, 

 although their tools were as bad as possible. I will first 

 give the description and dimensions of one of their boats, 

 and then their method of building. Her extreme length 

 from stem to stern, not reckoning the bending up of both 

 those parts, 5 1 feet ; breadth in the clear at the top forward, 

 14 inches, amidships 18, aft 15 ; in the bilge forward 32 

 inches, amidships 35, aft 33 ; depth amidships, 3 feet 4 

 inches ; height above the ground, 3 feet 6 inches ; her head 

 raised, without the figure, 1 1 inches ; her stern, 8 feet 9 

 inches ; the figure, 2 feet. Alongside of her was lashed 

 another like her in all respects, but smaller in proportion, 

 being only 33 feet in her extreme length. The form of 

 these canoes can be better shown by a drawing than by 

 any description ; the annexed may 

 serve to give some idea of a sec- 

 tion : a a is the first seam, b I the 

 second, cc the third. The first 

 stage, or keel under a a, is made 

 of trees hollowed out like a 

 trough. For this purpose they 

 choose the longest trees they can find, so that two or three 

 form the bottom of their largest boat (some of which are 

 much larger than that described here, as I make a rule to 



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