ere young women, who I judged
were from eighteen to twenty-five years of age; they were all
perfectly naked, as when first born.

The women in general are well made, not quite so thin as the
men, but rather smaller limbed. As soon as the women were ordered
to approach us, about twenty men, whom we had not before seen,
sallied from the wood, compleatly armed with lance and shield;
they were painted with red and white streaks all over the face
and body, as if they intended to strike terror by their
appearance: some of them were painted with a little degree of
taste, and although the painting on others appeared to be done
without any attention to form, yet there were those who, at a
small distance, appeared as if they were accoutred with
cross-belts: some had circles of white round their eyes, and
several a horizontal streak across the forehead: others again had
narrow white streaks round the body, with a broad line down the
middle of the back and belly, and a single streak down each arm,
thigh, and leg. These marks, being generally white, gave the
person, at a small distance, a most shocking appearance; for,
upon the black skin the white marks were so very conspicuous,
that they were exactly like so many moving skeletons. The colours
they use are mostly red and white; the first of which is a kind
of ochre, or red earth, which is found here in considerable
quantities; the latter is a fine pipe-clay.

The bodies of the men are much scarified, particularly their
breasts and shoulders; these scarifications are considerably
raised above the skin, and although they are not in any regular
form, yet they are certainly considered as ornamental.

The men, thus armed and painted, drew themselves up in a line
on the beach, and each man had a green bough in his hand, as a
sign of friendship; their disposition was as regular as any well
disciplined troops could have been; and this party, I apprehend,
was entirely for the defence of the women, if any insult had been
offered them. We also observed at this interview, that two very
stout armed men, were placed upon a rock, near to where our boats
lay, as centinels; for they never moved from the spot until we
left the beach: I therefore suppose they were ordered there to
watch all our motions. We left these people, after a visit of
about four hours, both parties apparently well satisfied with all
that passed.

In the different opportunities I have had of getting a little
acquainted