THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
2Xl 
1778. 
January. 
flefhy part of the belly, when any perfon was killed. This 
explained and confirmed the circumftance above-mention¬ 
ed, of the perfon pointing to his belly. The man, however, 
from whom we now had this information, being afked, if 
his countrymen eat the part thus cut out ? denied it ftrong- 
ly; but, upon the queftion being repeated, Ihewed fome 
degree of fear, and fwam to his canoe. Juft before he 
reached it, he made figns, as he had done before, expreflive 
of the ufe of the inftrument. And an old man, who fat 
foremoft in the canoe, being then afked, whether they eat 
the flefh ? anfwered in the affirmative, and laughed, feem- 
ingly at the fimplicity of fuch a queftion. He affirmed the 
fadt, on being afked again; and alfo faid, it was excellent 
food, or, as he exprefted it, u favoury eating.” 
At feven o’clock in the evening, the boats returned, with 
two tons of water, a few hogs, a quantity of plantains, and 
fome roots. Mr. King informed me, that a great number 
of the inhabitants were at the watering or landing place. 
He fuppofed, that they had come from all parts of the 
ifland. They had brought with them a great many fine 
fat hogs, to barter; but my people had not commodities 
with them equal to the purchafe. This, however, was no 
great lofs; for we had already got as many on board, as we 
could well manage for immediate ufe; and, wanting the 
materials, we could not have falted them. Mr. King alfo 
told me, that a great deal of rain had fallen afhore, whereas, 
out at fea, we had only a few fhowers; and that the furf 
had run fo high, that it was with great difficulty our men 
landed, and got back into the boats. 
We had light airs and calms, by turns, with fhowers of 
rain, all night; and at day-break, in the morning of the 
24th, we found, that the currents had carried the ihip to Saturday 24 . 
E e 2, the 
