206 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF NEW ZEALAND CH. ix 



possible. We gave him a musket ball, and with a little 

 talking he seemed to be fully sensible of the escape he 

 had had. 



In the evening we went ashore on another island where 

 were many more people, who lived in the same peaceable 

 style, and had very large plantations of sweet potatoes, yams, 

 etc., about their village. They received us much as our 

 friends in the morning had done, and, like them, showed much 

 satisfaction at the little presents of necklaces, etc., which 

 were given to them. 



&th. "We went ashore at a large Indian fort or heppah. 

 A great number of people immediately crowded about us, 

 and sold almost a boat-load of fish in a very short time. 

 They then showed us their plantations, which were very 

 large, of yams, cocos, and sweet potatoes : and after 

 having a little laugh at our seine, a common king's seine, 

 showed us one of theirs, which was five fathoms deep. Its 

 length we could only guess, as it was not stretched out, 

 but it could not from its bulk be less than four or five 

 hundred fathoms. Fishing seems to be the chief business 

 of this part of the country. About all their towns are 

 abundance of nets laid upon small heaps like haycocks, and 

 thatched over, and almost every house you go into has nets 

 in process of making. 



After this they showed us a great rarity, six plants of 

 what they called aouta, from whence they make cloth like 

 that of Otahite. The plant proved exactly the same, as 

 the name is the same, Morus papyrifera, Linn, (the Paper 

 Mulberry). The same plant is used by the Chinese to 

 make paper. Whether the climate does not well agree with 

 it I do not know, but they seemed to value it very much ; 

 that it was very scarce among them I am inclined to be- 

 lieve, as we have not yet seen among them pieces large 

 enough for any use, but only bits sticking into the holes of 

 their ears. 



Qth. Many canoes came off, and Tupia inquired about 

 the country : they told him that at the distance of three 

 days' rowing in their canoes, at a place called Moore- 



