THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
pearl fhells, hung about the neck, as an ornament. One 
of them kept blowing a large conch-fhell, to which a reed, 
near two feet long, was fixed; at firft, with a continued 
tone of the fame kind ; but he, afterward, converted it into 
a kind of mufical inftrument, perpetually repeating two or 
three notes, with the fame ftrength. What the blowing 
the conch portended, I cannot fay; but I never found it the 
meflenger of peace. 
Their canoes appeared to be about thirty feet long, and 
two feet above the furface of the water, as they floated. 
The fore part proje£led a little, and had a notch cut acrofs, 
as if intended to reprefent the mouth of fome animal. The 
after-part rofe, with a gentle curve, to the height of two or 
three feet, turning gradually fmaller, and, as well as the 
upper part of the fides, was carved all over. The reft of 
the fides, which were perpendicular, were curioufly incruft- 
ated with flat white fhells, difpofed nearly in concentric 
femicircles, with the curve upward. One of the canoes 
carried feven, and the other eight men; and they were 
managed with fmall paddles, whofe blades were nearly 
round. Each of them had a pretty long outrigger ;, and 
they fometimes paddled, with the two oppofite fides to¬ 
gether fo clofe, that they feemed to be one boat with two 
outriggers; the rowers turning their faces occafionally to 
the ftern, and pulling that way, without paddling the ca¬ 
noes round. When they faw us determined to leave them, 
they flood up in their canoes, and repeated fomething, very 
loudly, in concert; but we could not tell, whether this was 
meant as a mark of their friendfhip or enmity. It is cer¬ 
tain, however, that they had no weapons with them ; nor 
could we perceive, with our glafles, that thofe on fhore had 
any. 
After 
7 
1777. 
Auguft. 
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I 
