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. 
Tt 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 
