ts, and to ask for food, and above all
for water. As soon as they could bring the canoe near enough, the
Frenchman watching his opportunity, reached out to us a large gourd
containing water, of which we drank plentifully, passing it round
several times. Arthur hastened to pour a little into Johnny's mouth,
and the effect was astonishing: he seemed to revive almost
instantaneously, and, sitting up, he seized the gourd himself and drank
eagerly as long as Arthur would let him. The Frenchman next tossed us
something wrapped in banana leaves, a thick, dark-coloured paste of some
kind. It was enough that it was an article of food, and we devoured it
without pausing for any very close examination, though its appearance
was by no means inviting, and it had a crude and slightly acid taste.
He threw us also several thin, hard cakes, similar in taste and colour
to the other substance. Both were probably preparations of the
bread-fruit, the latter being dried and hardened in the sun, or by fire.
Ravenously hungry as we were, these supplies were divided and
apportioned with the most scrupulous exactness. On finding that the
natives were well supplied with water, having several large gourds full,
we passed the calabash round again, until we had drained it dry, when
they gave us another gourd. Meanwhile, though we were too busy to look
about us much, the canoe's people watched us very narrowly, and in such
a manner as to make me feel uneasy and doubtful as to their intentions,
notwithstanding their kindness thus far. As soon as the first cravings
of hunger and thirst were satisfied, I began to return their scrutiny,
and I now observed that they differed in many respects from the
Tahitians, and from all the other Polynesian tribes of which I knew any
thing. Their complexion was a clear olive; their faces oval, with
regular features; their hair straight and black; their eyes large, and
the general expression of their countenances simple and pleasing, though
there were several keen, crafty-looking faces among them. All were
tattooed, more or less profusely, the chests of some resembling
checker-boards, and others being ornamented with rosettes, and
representations of various natural objects, as birds, fishes, trees,
etcetera. Their only clothing consisted of the maro, a strip of tappa,
or native cloth, tied round the loins. A wave happening to throw the
boats nearly together, one of the natives caught hold of our gunwale at
t