f, he pressed the child's belly as much as he could with
his head and hands, crying out continually, but with inarticulate
sounds. From time to time he raised himself, and seeming to hold the
disease in his joined hands, opened them at once into the air, blowing,
as if he drove away some evil spirit. During those rites, an old woman
in tears howled with great violence in the child's ears. These
ceremonies, however, not proving effectual, but rather, indeed, as might
have been expected, doing mischief, the juggler disappeared for a
little, in order, as should seem, to procure a peculiar dress, in which
he might practise his exorcism with greater confidence of success, and
to bring a brother in the trade, similarly apparelled, to aid him in his
labours. But so much the worse for the wretched patient, who was now
pummelled and squeezed all over, till his body was completely bruised.
Such treatment, it is almost unnecessary to say, aggravated his
sufferings, but accomplished no cure. The jugglers at last consented to
allow the interference of the French surgeon, but appeared to be very
jealous of his skill. The child became somewhat easier towards night;
however, from his continual sickness, there was much room to apprehend
that he had swallowed some of the glass, and died in consequence; for
"about two o'clock in the morning," says Bougainville, "we on board
heard repeated howls, and at break of day, though the weather was very
dreadful, the savages went off. They doubtless fled from a place defiled
by death, and by unlucky strangers, who, they thought, were come merely
to destroy them." It is very probable that the person whom Cook supposed
a priest, practised the charms spoken of, in order to destroy any ill
luck, and to prevent the occurrence of such like misfortunes in his
intercourse with the wonderful strangers. There is an allusion to this
incident in a following section.--E.]

They ate some bread and some beef, but not apparently with much
pleasure, though such part of what was given them as they did not eat,
they took away with them; but they would not swallow a drop either of
wine or spirits: They put the glass to their lips, but, having tasted
the liquor, they returned it with strong expressions of disgust.
Curiosity seems to be one of the few passions which distinguish men from
brutes; and of this our guests appeared to have very little. They went
from one part of the ship to another, and looked at the vast va