172 
A VOYAGE TO 
1777. perly, put the queftion to them, Whether they ever eat 
k , !— human flelh ? which they anfwered in the negative, with a 
mixture of indignation and abhorrence. One of them, 
whofe name was Mourooa, being afked how he came by 
a fear on his forehead, told us that it was the confequence 
of a wound he had got in fighting with the people of an 
ifland, which lies to the North Eaftward, who fometimes 
came to invade them. They afterward took hold of a 
rope. Still, however, they would not venture on hoard; 
but told Omai, who underftood them pretty well, that 
their countrymen on fhore had given them this caution, 
at the fame time directing them to inquire, from whence 
our Ihip came, and to learn the name of the Captain. On 
our part, we inquired the name of the ifland, which they 
called Mangya or Mangeea ; and fometimes added to it N'ooe, 
naii naiwa. The name of their Chief, they faid, was 
Orooaeeka. 
Mourooa was lufty and well made, hut not very tall. His 
features were agreeable, and his difpofition feemingly no 
lefs fo; for he made feveral droll gefticulations, which 
indicated both good-nature and a fliare of humour. He 
alfo made others which feemed of a ferious kind, and re¬ 
peated fome words with a devout air, before he ventured to 
lay hold of the rope at the fhip’s fiern; which was pro¬ 
bably to recommend himfelf to the protection of fome Di¬ 
vinity. His colour was nearly of the fame cafl: with that 
common to the molt fouthern Europeans. The other man 
was not fo handfome. Both of them had ftrong, ftraight 
hair, of a jet colour, tied together on the crown of the 
head with a bit of cloth. They wore fuch girdles as we 
had perceived about thofe on fhore, and we found they 
were a fubftance made from the Morus papyrifera , in the 
fame 
