a notch or hole in the deck.  The foot of the sail is extended to a small boom.  The sail is composed of pieces of matting, the ropes are made of the coarse filaments of the plantain-tree, twisted into cords of the thickness of a finger; and three or four more such cords, marled together, serve them for shrouds, &c.  I thought they sailed very well; but they are not at all calculated for rowing or paddling.  Their method of proceeding, when they cannot sail, is by sculling, and for this purpose there are holes in the boarded deck or platform.  Through these they put the sculls, which are of such a length, that, when the blade is in the water, the loom or handle is four or five feet above the deck.  The man who works it stands behind, and with both his hands sculls the vessel forward.  This method of proceeding is very slow; and for this reason, the canoes are but ill calculated for fishing, especially for striking of turtle, which, I think, can hardly ever be done in them.  Their fishing implements, such as I have seen, are turtle-nets, made, I believe, of the filaments of the plantain-tree twisted; and small hand-nets, with very minute meshes made of fine twine and fish-gigs.  Their general method of fishing, I guess, is to lie on the reefs in shoal water, and to strike the fish that may come in their way.  They may, however, have other methods, which we had no opportunity to see, as no boat went out while we were here; all their time and attention being taken up with us.  Their canoes are about thirty feet long, and the deck or platform about twenty-four in length, and ten in breadth.  We had not, at this time, seen any timber in the country so large as that of which their canoes were made.  It was observed that the holes, made in the several parts, in order to sew them together, were burnt through, but with what instrument we never learnt.  Most probably it was of stone, which may be the reason why they were so fond of large spikes, seeing at once they would answer this purpose.  I was convinced they were not wholly designed for edge-tools, because every one shewed a desire for the iron belaying-pins which were fixed in the quarter-deck rail, and seemed to value them far more than a spike-nail, although it might be twice as big.  These pins, which are round, perhaps have the very shape of the tool they wanted to make of the nails.  I did not find that a hatchet was quite so valuable as a large spike.  Small nails were of little or no value; and beads, looking-glasses, &c. they did not admire.

The women of this country, and likewise those of Tanna, are, so far as I could judge, far more chaste than those of the more eastern islands.  I never heard that one of our people obtained the least favour from any one of them.  I have been told that the ladies here would frequently divert themselves by going a little aside with our gentlemen, as if they meant to be kind to them, and then would run away laughing at them.  Whether this was chastity or coquetry, I shall not pretend to determine; nor is it material, since the consequences were the same.[4]