nd
shot a native dead. The marine's only excuse was that he saw a native
bending his bow, an act they often performed without intending to shoot.
After all, the sentry did not kill the man who bent the bow, but
another who was standing near.

Among the excursions made by the officers was one towards the volcano,
which, however, they could not reach. It was in such furious eruption
that the air was filled with dust and ashes, and when it rained they
were covered with mud. On their way they passed a spot emitting columns
of smoke, and near the harbour hot springs were discovered; a
thermometer placed in one of them rose to 170 degrees.

Although the people of this island had no notion of the use of iron,
they were not so savage as at first appeared; their plantations were
carefully cultivated, and produced sugar-canes and yams, bread-fruit,
plantains, and cocoanuts. They had, however, one of the chief
characteristics of savages--the women carried all the burdens, and were
compelled to do every description of hard work. Though dark, they had
not the peculiarities of the negro race, but they made themselves darker
than they were by painting their skins. They differed in many respects
from the inhabitants of the neighbouring islands, both in appearance and
language. Their dwellings were of some size, but had no walls, being
merely roofs--looking like those of English barns taken off their walls
and placed on the ground. Their canoes were tolerably well constructed,
but though their shores abounded with fish, they had no notion of
catching them with nets or lines, the only way being to spear them as
they swam by.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

On the morning of August 20 the ship left Resolution Harbour, [so-called
by Captain Cook, because the Resolution had anchored there,] in Tanna,
and continued the survey along the coasts of this extensive group of
islands. A large number of natives were seen at the south-west side of
Mallicollo, and on the opposite shore a brief communication was held
with apparently another race of people, who came off in numerous small
outrigger canoes. Though gifts were handed to them, they could not be
induced to come up the side, or even to take hold of a rope.

The scenery of the coast in all directions was much admired; the
vegetation was most luxuriant; every hill was chequered with
plantations, and every valley was watered by a sparkling