174 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES 
these island-canoes have been seen at a time upon the 
beach of Tetuaroa. 
In navigating their double canoes^ the natives frequently 
use two sails^but in their single vessels only one. The masts 
are moveable, and are only raised when the sails are used. 
They are slightly fixed upon a kind of step placed across 
the canoe, and fastened by strong ropes or braces extending 
to both sides, and to the stem and stern. The sails were 
made with the leaves of the pandanus split into thin 
strips, neatly woven into a kind of matting. The shape 
of the sails of the island-canoes is singular, the 
side attached to the mast is straight, the outer part 
resembling the section of an oval, cut in the longest 
direction. The other sails are commonly used in the 
same manner as sprit or lugger sails are used in 
European boats. The ropes from the corners of the sails 
are not usually fastened, but held in the hands of the 
natives. The rigging is neither varied nor complex ; 
the cordage is made with the twisted bark of the hibiscus, 
or the fibres of the cocoa-nut husk—of which a very good 
coiar rope is manufactured. 
The paddles of the Tahitians are plain, having a 
smooth round handle, and an oblong-shaped blade. Their 
canoes have no rudder, but are steered by a man in the 
stern, with a paddle generally longer than the rest. In long 
voyages they have two or three steering paddles, in¬ 
cluding a very large one, which they employ in stormy 
weather, to prevent the vessel from drifting to leeward. 
The tataa^ or scoop, with which they bale out the 
leakage, is generally a neat and convenient article, cut 
out of a solid piece of wood. Their canoes were 
formerly ornamented with streamers of various coloured 
cloths, and tufts of fringe and tassels of feathers were 
