18 



BOWDITCH ISLAND. 



The motion is communicated by a vertical movement of the hand, 



and when practised by a native, is exceed- 

 ingly rapid. Their boxes or buckets are 

 of various sizes, from the capacity of a gill 

 to that of a gallon ; they are cut out of the 

 solid wood, and the top or lid is fitted in 

 a neat manner. These are used to keep 

 their fish-hooks and other small articles in, 

 to preserve them from the wet. Like ,the 

 natives of Oatafu, they do not appear to 

 cultivate any thing, but derive their food 

 from the cocoa-nut and pandanus, which 

 \ are the only edible vegetable articles that 

 grow on the island ; but the far greater 

 portion of their food is drawn from the sea. 

 That they have sufficient nutriment, is amply proved by their robust 

 and healthy looks. 



The population of this island is supposed to be about six hundred 

 souls, most of whom dwell in the town. Those that were seen on 

 Oatafu are supposed to belong to this island also, and it will be 

 remembered that their canoes were there double ones, while all those 

 seen at Bowditch Island were single. Throughout all Polynesia the 

 double canoe is used in navigating from island to island. This will 

 reconcile the fact that Oatafu, or Duke of York Island, when first 

 visited, was found uninhabited, as is particularly mentioned by its 

 discoverer. 



After a stay of three hours at their town, Captain Hudson yielded 

 to the pressing desire of the natives to get rid of him, and ordered all 

 the officers and men to the boats. The natives showed their delight 

 at this move, and were very assiduous in assisting their visiters to 

 embark. The confusion of embarkation was taken advantage of by 

 them, and numerous small articles were stolen, which were not missed 

 till afterwards. Many of these thefts were committed in the most 

 barefaced manner, and it is believed that they would have gone to 

 much greater lengths, if they had not been restrained by their fears. 



Along the coral reef were walls of coral, in the form of piers, eight 

 or ten feet high, and from twenty-five to thirty feet long. 



There was no sign of places for cooking, nor any appearance of fire, 

 and it is believed that all their provisions are eaten raw. What 

 strengthened this opinion, was the alarm the natives felt when they 



