212 CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF NEW ZEALAND CH. ix 



the water?" "She was our relation." "Whom, then, do 

 you eat ? " " Those who are killed in war." " And who 

 was the man whose bones these are?" "Five days ago a 

 boat of our enemies came into this bay, and of them we 

 killed seven, of whom the owner of these bones was one." 

 The horror that appeared in the countenances of the seamen 

 on hearing this discourse, which was immediately trans- 

 lated for the good of the company, is better conceived than 

 described. For ourselves, and myself in particular, we were 

 too well convinced of the existence of such a custom to be 

 surprised, though we were pleased at having so strong a 

 proof of a custom which human nature holds in too great 

 abhorrence to give easy credit to. 



Vlih. I was awakened by the singing of the birds ashore, 

 from whence we are distant not a quarter of a mile. Their 

 numbers were certainly very great. They seemed to strain 

 their throats with emulation, and made, perhaps, the most 

 melodious wild music I have ever heard, almost imitating 

 small bells, but with the most tunable silver sound imagin- 

 able, to which, maybe, the distance was no small addition. 

 On inquiring of our people, I was told that they had 

 observed them ever since we had been here, and that they 

 begin to sing about one or two in the morning, and continue 

 till sunrise, after which they are silent all day, like our 

 nightingales. 



1 8th. Among other things that the Indians told us 

 yesterday, one was that they expected their enemies to come 

 and revenge the death of the seven men, and some of our 

 people thought that they had intelligence of their coming 

 to-day, which made us observe the Indian town, where the 

 people seemed more quiet than usual, not attending to their 

 usual occupations of fishing, etc. No canoe attempted to 

 come near the ship. 



After breakfast we went in the pinnace to explore some 

 parts of the bay, which we had not seen, as it was immensely 

 large, or, rather, consisted of numberless small harbours, 

 coves, etc. We found the country on our side of the bay 

 very well wooded everywhere, but on the opposite side very 



