18 



A JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



article with his tongue, on receiving it, as a finish to the bargain, and 

 an act of appropriation. They in no instance omitted this strange 

 practice, however small the article ; the needles even passed indi- 

 vidually through the ceremony. The women brought imitations of 

 men, women, animals, and birds, carved with labour and ingenuity 

 out of sea-horse teeth. The dresses, and the figures of the animals, 

 were not badly executed, but there was no attempt at the delinea- 

 tion of the countenances ; and most of the figures were without 

 eyes, ears, and fingers, the execution of which would, perhaps, 

 have required more delicate instruments than they possess. The 

 men set most value on saws ; kuttee-swa-bak, the name by which 

 they distinguish them, was a constant cry. Knives were held next 

 in estimation. An old sword was bartered from the Eddystone, and 

 I shall long remember the universal burst of joy on the happy man's 

 receiving it. It was delightful to witness the general interest ex- 

 cited by individual acquisitions. There was no desire shewn by any 

 one to over-reach his neighbour, or to press towards any part of the 

 ship where a bargain was making, until the person in possession of 

 the place had completed his exchange and removed ; and, if any ar- 

 ticle happened to be demanded from the outer canoes, the men 

 nearest assisted willingly in passing the thing across. Supposing the 

 party to belong to one tribe, the total number of the tribe must 

 exceed two hundred persons, as there were, probably, one hundred 

 and fifty around the ships, and few of these were elderly persons or 

 male children. 



Their faces were broad and flat, the eyes were small. The men 

 were in general stout. Some of the younger women and the children 

 had rather pleasing countenances, but the difference between these 

 and the more aged of that sex, bore strong testimony to the effects 

 which a few years produce in this ungenial climate. Most of the 

 party had sore eyes, all of them appeared of a plethoric habit of 

 body ; several were observed bleeding at the nose during their stay 



