266 
A VOYAGE TO 
1778. kept ftrewing handfuls of feathers towards us *; and fome 
^ ***.' , of his companions threw handfuls of a red duft or powder 
in the fame manner. The perfon who played the orator, 
wore the fkin of fome animal, and held, in each hand, 
fomething which rattled as he kept fhaking it. After tiring 
himfelf with his repeated exhortations, of which we did 
not underhand a word, he was quiet; and then others took 
it, by turns, to fay fomething, though they acted their part 
neither fo long, nor with fo much vehemence as the other. 
We obferved that two or three had their hair quite ftrewed 
over with fmall white feathers; and others had large ones 
ftuck into different parts of the head. After the tumul¬ 
tuous noife had ceafed, they lay at a little diftance from the 
fhip, and converfed with each other in a very eafy manner; 
nor did they feem to drew the lead: furprize or diftruft. 
Some of them, now and then, got up, and faid fomething 
after the manner of their firft harangues ; and one fung a 
very agreeable air, with a degree of foftnefs and melody 
which we could not have expedted; the word baela , being 
often repeated as the burden of the fong. The breeze 
which foon after fprung up, bringing us nearer to the fhore, 
the canoes began to come off in greater numbers; and we 
had, at one time, thirty-two of them near the fhip, carrying 
from three to feven or eight perfons each, both men and 
women. Several of thefe flood up in their canoes haran¬ 
guing, and making geftures after the manner of our firft 
vifiters. One canoe was remarkable for a lingular head, 
which had a bird’s eye and bill, of an enormous fize, painted 
* The natives of this coaft, twelve degrees farther South, alfo brought feathers as pre- 
ients to Sir Francis Drake on his arrival. See an account of his voyage in Campbell’s 
edit, of Harris , Vol. i. p. 18. 
IO 
on 
