fort£r''s journal. 



duced a contrast much to the advantage of the islands we 

 were now about visiting. Indeed, the extreme fertihty of 

 the soil, as it appeared to us after rounding the S.E. point 

 of the island, produced sensations we had been little accus- 

 tomed to, and made us long for the fruits with which the 

 trees appeared every where loaded. 



On rounding the S.E. part of the island, we saw a canoe 

 coming off to the ship with eight of the natives, one of 

 whomjwas seated in the bow, with his head ornamented with 

 some yellow leaves, which at a distance we supposed to 

 he feathers. They approached us very cautiously, and 

 would not venture along side until we had run very close 

 in. But no persuasions of ours could induce them to come 

 on board, although we offered them pieces of iron hoops, 

 knives, fish-hooks, and other articles which we supposed 

 them to hold in the highest estimation. We had a native 

 of the island of Otaheita on board, who enabled them, but 

 with apparent difficulty, to comprehend our wishes, and 

 who gave them repeated assurances of our friendly dispo- 

 sition. They came under the stern, and after we had sent 

 down to them, in a bucket made fast to a rope, several of 

 the above articles, they sent up to us, by the same convey- 

 ance, a few fish and a part of their ornaments, consisting of 

 a belt made of the fibres of the cocoa-nut, garnished with 

 the small teeth of a hog, the only articles of exchange in 

 their possession. They frequently repeated to us the word 

 taya^ which signifies friend, and invited us to the shore, 

 where they assured us, by the most expressive gesticula- 

 tions, that we should be made welcome. Their bodies 

 were entirely naked, and their chief ornament consisted 

 in the dark and fanciful lines formed by tattooing, which 

 covered them. I displayed to them some whales' teeth, 

 an object to which 1 had understood that the natives of 

 this group were greatly attached. They seemed to be 

 greatly attracted by them, and promised to return to the 

 shore, and bring us in exchange for them fruit and what- 

 ever else we desired. On their leaving us, I bore away 

 for several other canoes which were launched from the 

 different coves w^ith which the coast was indented, but 

 nothing could induce them to come near the ship. I was 

 anxious to procure some refreshments, but more so to ob- 

 tain a knowledge of a people with whom the world is so 



