A General History & Collection of Voyages and Travels ... - Nauticus

and upper side covered with small red pease, which are fixed on with gum. They also wear small bunchesof human hair, fastened to a string, and tied round the legs and arms. Sometimes, instead of hair, they makeuse of short feathers; but all the above-mentioned ornaments are seldom seen on the same person.I saw only the chief, who came to visit us, completely dressed in this manner. Their ordinary ornaments arenecklaces and amulets made of shells, &c. I did not see any with ear-rings; and yet all of them had theirears pierced.Their dwellings are in the vallies, and on the sides of the hills, near their plantations. They are built afterthe same manner as at Otaheite; but are much meaner, and only covered with the leaves of the bread-tree.The most of them are built on a square or oblong pavement of stone, raised some height above the level ofthe ground. They likewise have such pavements near their houses, on which they sit to eat and amusethemselves.In the article of eating, these people are by no means so cleanly as the Otaheiteans. They are likewise dirtyin their cookery. Pork and fowls are dressed in an oven of hot stones, as at Otaheite; but fruit and roots theyroast on the fire, and after taking off the rind or skin, put them into a platter or trough, with water, out ofwhich I have seen both men and hogs eat at the same time. I once saw them make a batter of fruit and rootsdiluted with water, in a vessel that was loaded with dirt, and out of which the hogs had been but thatmoment eating, without giving it the least washing, or even washing their hands, which were equally dirty;and when I expressed a dislike, was laughed at. I know not if all are so. The actions of a few individualsare not sufficient to fix a custom on a whole nation. Nor can I say if it is the custom for men and women tohave separate messes. I saw nothing to the contrary: Indeed I saw but few women upon the whole.They seemed to have dwellings, or strong-holds, on the summits of the highest hills. These we only saw bythe help of our glasses; for I did not permit any of our people to go there, as we were not sufficientlyacquainted with the disposition of the natives, which (I believe) is humane and pacific.Their weapons are clubs and spears, resembling those of Otaheite, but somewhat neater. They have alsoslings, with which they throw stones with great velocity, and to a great distance, but not with a good aim.Their canoes are made of wood, and pieces of the bark of a soft tree, which grows near the sea in greatplenty, and is very tough and proper for the purpose. They are from sixteen to twenty feet long, and aboutfifteen inches broad; the head and stern are made of two solid pieces of wood; the stern rises or curves alittle, but in an irregular direction, and ends in a point; the head projects out horizontally, and is carved intosome faint and very rude resemblance of a human face. They are rowed by paddles, and some have a sortof lateen sail, made of matting.Hogs were the only quadrupeds we saw; and cocks and hens the only tame fowls. However, the woodsseemed to abound with small birds of a very beautiful plumage, and fine notes; but the fear of alarming thenatives hindered us from shooting so many of them as might otherwise have been done.[1][1] Mr G.F. concurs generally with Captain Cook in his account of the matters spoken of in thissection, and is very particular in noticing the strong and distinct resemblance of the natives of theMarquesas to those of the Society Islands. What differences he remarked, he thinks may bespecifically ascribed to the nature of the respective countries, whilst in his judgment the many pointsof identity imply a common origin. The reader, it is believed, will hereafter see the most reasonable