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

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went to Balabea, which they did not reach till after sun-set, <strong>and</strong> left again next morning before sun-rise;consequently this was a fruitless expedition, <strong>and</strong> the two following days were spent in getting up to theship. As they went down to the isle, they saw abundance <strong>of</strong> turtle; but the violence <strong>of</strong> the wind <strong>and</strong> seamade it impossible to strike any. The cutter was near being lost, by suddenly filling with water, whichobliged them to throw several things overboard, before they could free her, <strong>and</strong> stop the leak she hadsprung. From a fishing canoe, which they met coming in from the reefs, they got as much fish as theycould eat; <strong>and</strong> they were received by Teabi, the chief <strong>of</strong> the isle <strong>of</strong> Balabea, <strong>and</strong> the people, who came innumbers to see them, with great courtesy. In order not to be too much crowded, our people drew a line onthe ground, <strong>and</strong> gave the others to underst<strong>and</strong> they were not to come within it. This restriction theyobserved, <strong>and</strong> one <strong>of</strong> them, soon after, turned to his own advantage. For happening to have a few cocoanuts,which one <strong>of</strong> our people wanted to buy, <strong>and</strong> he was unwilling to part with, he walked <strong>of</strong>f, <strong>and</strong> wasfollowed by the man who wanted them. On seeing this, he sat down on the s<strong>and</strong>, made a circle round him,as he had seen our people do, <strong>and</strong> signified that the other was not to come within it; which was accordinglyobserved. As this story was well attested, I thought it not unworthy <strong>of</strong> a place in this journal.[7][7] It is also worth while noticing the following circumstance, which occurred during this excursion."The appearance <strong>of</strong> a large beef-bone, which some <strong>of</strong> our people began to pick towards theconclusion <strong>of</strong> their supper, interrupted a conversation that was carried on with the natives. Theytalked very loud <strong>and</strong> earnestly to each other, looked with great surprise, <strong>and</strong> some marks <strong>of</strong> disgust,at our people, <strong>and</strong> at last went away altogether, expressing by signs that they suspected the strangers<strong>of</strong> eating human flesh. Our <strong>of</strong>ficer endeavoured to free himself <strong>and</strong> his shipmates from thissuspicion; but the want <strong>of</strong> language was an insurmountable obstacle to his undertaking, evensupposing it possible to persuade a set <strong>of</strong> people, who had never seen a quadruped in their lives."--G.F.Notwithst<strong>and</strong>ing this appearance <strong>of</strong> dislike to so horrid a practice, it must not be hastily inferred, thatthese people are themselves free from the vice which they condemned. On the contrary, one mightrather imagine that their so readily conjecturing the circumstance, from what they saw, proceededfrom a conviction <strong>of</strong> their own occasional acquiescence in it; <strong>and</strong> that their present umbrage arosefrom apprehension <strong>of</strong> their own danger in the h<strong>and</strong>s <strong>of</strong> persons so much more powerful thanthemselves. But we reserve the subject <strong>of</strong> cannibalism for another place, where perhaps it will beshewn that those very people are not free from this opprobrium <strong>of</strong> the savage state. The reader isalready aware, that the younger Forster is not to be too strictly relied on as to his accounts <strong>of</strong> ourspecies in its rude condition, more particularly where it is possible, with some stretch <strong>of</strong> liberality, tosubstitute the pleasing dreams <strong>of</strong> fancy for the disagreeable realities <strong>of</strong> truth.--E.Early in the morning <strong>of</strong> the 12th, I ordered the carpenter to work, to repair the cutter, <strong>and</strong> the water to be replaced,which we had expended the three preceding days. As Tea Booma the chief had not been seen sincehe got the dogs, <strong>and</strong> I wanted to lay a foundation for stocking the country with hogs also, I took a youngboar <strong>and</strong> a sow with me in the boat, <strong>and</strong> went up to the mangrove creek to look for my friend, in order togive them to him.But when we arrived there, we were told that he lived at some distance, <strong>and</strong> that they would send for him.Whether they did or no I cannot say; but he not coming, I resolved to give them to the first man <strong>of</strong> note Imet with. The guide we had to the hills happening to be there, I made him underst<strong>and</strong> that I intended toleave the two pigs on shore, <strong>and</strong> ordered them out <strong>of</strong> the boat for that purpose. I <strong>of</strong>fered them to a grave oldman, thinking he was a proper person to entrust them with; but he shook his head, <strong>and</strong> he <strong>and</strong> all present,made signs to take them into the boat again. When they saw I did not comply, they seemed to consult withone another what was to be done; <strong>and</strong> then our guide told me to carry them to the Alekee (chief).

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