received us; no one showed the least signs of fear. The women were plain, and made themselves more so by painting their faces with red ochre and oil, which was generally fresh and wet upon their cheeks and foreheads, easily transferable to the noses of any one who should attempt to kiss them, not that they seemed to have any objection to such familiarities, as the noses of several of our people evidently showed. But they were as coquettish as any Europeans could be, and the young ones as skittish as unbroken fillies. One part of their dress I cannot omit to mention: besides their cloth, each one wore round the waist a string made of the leaves of a highly-perfumed grass,[1] to which was fastened a small bunch of the leaves of some fragrant plant. Though the men did not so frequently paint their faces, yet they often did so; one especially I observed, whose whole body and garments were rubbed over with dry ochre; of this he constantly kept a piece in his hand, and generally rubbed it on some part or other.
In the evening, all the boats being employed in carrying on board water, we were likely to be left ashore till after dark. We did not like to lose so much of our time for sorting our specimens and putting them in order, so we applied to our friends the Indians for a passage in one of their canoes. They readily launched one for us; but we, in number eight, not being used to so ticklish a conveyance, overset her in the surf, and were very well soused. Four of us were obliged to remain, and Dr. Solander, Tupia, Tayeto and myself embarked again, and came without accident to the ship, well pleased with the behaviour of our Indian friends, who would a second time undertake to carry off such clumsy fellows.
24th. Dr. Solander and I went ashore botanising, and found many new plants. The people behaved perfectly well, not mixing with or at all interrupting our people in what they were about, but on the contrary selling them whatever they had for Otahite cloth and glass bottles, of which they were uncommonly fond.
- ↑ Hierochloe redolens, Br.
