e corpse was
forthwith carried to the morais, when the chief, who was compelled to
attend such sacrifices, had the eye offered to him to eat! At some of
the islands, the inhabitants of which Captain Cook describes as the most
happy on earth, the priests held this terrific power to a fearful
extent. At the time of his thus writing he was not aware of the fact
which is so strikingly illustrative of the declaration of holy writ,
that "the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of
cruelty."

On September 17, 1773, the ships were again at sea. It was the
intention of Captain Cook to get into the latitude of Middleburg and
Amsterdam, in order to touch there before hauling up for New Zealand.
At night they generally lay to, lest any land might be passed in the
dark. Some small islets clothed with cocoanut trees were passed on the
23rd, and named Hervey's Islands, but no inhabitants were seen on shore.

Middleburg was reached on October 1, and the following day, as the ships
were beating up to an anchorage, two canoes came boldly off to them.
Directly the anchors were dropped, the ships were surrounded by canoes,
bringing cloth and other curiosities. Among the people who came on
board was a chief, whose good services were secured by the present of a
hatchet, spike-nails, and other articles. His name was Tioony. He
piloted the boats to a place where the landing was very easy, and where
a large concourse of people were assembled to receive them with
commodities, which they pressed on their visitors, scarcely expecting to
receive anything in return. At last, the chief, making the people open
right and left, conducted his visitors to his house, which was
delightfully situated about three hundred yards from the sea, at the
head of a fine lawn under the shade of some shaddock trees. The floor
was covered with mats, on which the guests were invited to be seated,
the people arranging themselves on the ground in a circle outside. The
piper having landed, Captain Cook ordered the bagpipes to be played,
and, in return, three young women sang with a very good grace. A
present being made to each of these, all the other women commenced
singing. Their songs were musical and harmonious, and in no way harsh
or disagreeable. The chief had another house in an adjoining
plantation, to which his guests were conducted, and where they were
entertained with bananas and cocoanuts, and bowls of cava; though, on
witnessing th