JAN. 1770 QUEEN CHARLOTTE’S SOUND 211 
the high foretops in England, I was forward to declare it 
as my opinion that these were much the handsomest women 
we had seen upon the coast; but upon their near approach I 
was convinced that nothing but the head-dress had misled 
me, as I saw not one who was even tolerably handsome. 
After dinner we went in the boat towards a cove about 
two miles from the ship. As. we rowed along, some- 
thing was seen floating upon the water, which we took to be 
a dead seal. It proved, to our great surprise, to be the body 
of a woman, who seemed to have been dead some time. We 
left it, and proceeded to our cove, where we found a small 
family of Indians, who were a little afraid of us, as they all 
ran away but one. They soon, however, returned except an 
old man and a child, who stayed in the woods, but not out 
of sight of us. Of these people we inquired about the body 
we had seen. They told Tupia that the woman was a 
relation of theirs, and that instead of burying their dead, 
their custom was to tie a stone to them, and throw them 
into the sea, which stone they suppose to have been un- 
loosened by some accident. 
The family were employed, when we came ashore, in 
dressing their provisions, which were a dog, at that time 
buried in their oven. Near by were many provision baskets. 
Looking carelessly upon one of these, we by accident observed 
two bones pretty cleanly picked, which, as appeared upon 
examination, were undoubtedly human bones. 
Though we had from the beginning constantly heard the 
Indians acknowledge the custom of eating their enemies, we 
had never before had a proof of it, but this amounted almost 
to demonstration. The bones were clearly human; upon 
them were evident marks of their having been dressed on 
the fire; the meat was not entirely picked off them, and 
on the gristly ends, which were gnawed, were evident marks 
of teeth; and they were accidentally found in a provision 
basket. On asking the people what bones they were, they 
answered: “The bones of a man.’——‘ And have you eaten 
the flesh ?”—“ Yes.’—“ Have you none of it left ?’”——“ No.” 
—‘ Why did you not eat the woman whom we saw to-day in 
