THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
173 
fame manner as at the other illands of this ocean. It was 1777. 
glazed like the fort nfed by the natives of the Friendly t Mar ^ h ' 
Illands ; hut the cloth on their heads was white, like that 
which is found at Otaheite. They had on, a kind of fan- 
dais, made of a gralfy fubfhance interwoven, which we alfo 
obferved were worn by thofe who Hood upon the beach; 
and, as we fuppofed, intended to defend their feet againfh 
the rough coral rock. Their beards were long; and the 
inlide of their arms, from the fhoulder to the elbow, and 
fome other parts, were punCfured or tatooed , after the man¬ 
ner of the inhabitants of almoft all the other illands in the 
South Sea. The lobe of their ears was pierced, or rather 
* flit, and to fuch a length, that one of them lluck there a 
knife and fome beads, which he had received from us ; and 
the fame perfon had two polifhed pearl-fhells, and a bunch 
of human hair, loofely twitted, hanging about his neck, 
which was the only ornament we obferved. The canoe 
they came in (which was the only one we faw), was not 
above ten feet long, and very narrow; but both ftrong and 
neatly made. The forepart had a flat board fattened over 
it, and projecting out, to prevent the fea getting in on 
plunging, like the fmall Evaas at Otaheite ; but it had an 
upright ftern, about five feet high, like fome in New Zea¬ 
land ; and the upper end of this ftern-poft was forked. 
The lower part of the canoe was of white wood; but the 
upper was black, and their paddles, made of wood of the 
fame colour, not above three feet long, broad at one end, 
and blunted. They paddled either end of the canoe for¬ 
ward indifferently; and only turned about their faces to 
paddle the contrary way. 
We now ftood off and on ; and as foon as the fliips were 
in a proper ttation, about ten o’clock I ordered two boats, 
one 
