lance, which he grasped with great firmness; when it was supposed to have been pierced by his lance, he ran at it with his Patoo-Patoo, and falling upon the upper end of it, which was to represent his adversary’s head, he laid on with great vehemence, striking many blows, any one of which would probably have split the skull of an ox.  From our champion’s falling upon his mock enemy with the Patoo-Patoo, after he was supposed to have been pierced with the lance, our gentlemen inferred, that in the battles of this country there is no quarter.

This afternoon, we set up the armourer’s forge, to repair the braces of the tiller which had been broken, and went on getting our wood and water, without suffering the least molestation from the natives; who came down with different sorts of fish, which we purchased with cloth, beads, and glass bottles, as usual.

On the 25th, Mr Banks and Dr Solander went again on shore; and while they were searching for plants, Tupia staid with the waterers:  Among other Indians who came down to them was a priest, with whom Tupia entered into a very learned conversation.  In their notions of religion they seemed to agree very well, which is not often the case between learned divines on our side of the ocean:  Tupia, however, seemed to have the most knowledge, and he was listened to with great deference and attention by the other.  In the course of this conversation, after the important points of divinity had been settled, Tupia enquired if it was their practice to eat men, to which they answered in the affirmative; but said that they eat only their enemies who were slain in battle.[58]

[Footnote 58:  There is some reason, however, to believe that they make battle in order that they may have enemies to eat.  It is something like the plea of the slave-dealers.  They took those only who had been made prisoners in war, and who would be butchered if not thus disposed of.  But who occasioned the wars which brought these miserable beings into the hands of their enemies?  There’s the rub.—­E.]

On the 26th, it rained all day, so that none of us could go ashore; and very few of the Indians came either to the watering-place or the ship.

On the 27th, I went with Dr Solander to examine the bottom of the bay; but though we went ashore at two places, we met with little worth notice.  The people behaved very civilly, shewing us every thing that we expressed a desire to see.  Among other trifling curiosities which Dr Solander purchased of them, was a boy’s top, shaped exactly like those which children play with in England; and they made signs, that to make it spin it was to be whipped.  Mr Banks in the mean time went ashore at the watering-place, and climbed a hill which stood at a little distance to see a fence of poles, which we had observed from the ship, and which had been much the subject of speculation.  The hill was extremely steep, and rendered almost inaccessible by wood; yet he reached the place, near