In Their Persons, They Are Far From Being A Stout Race Of Men, Though Nimble,
Sprightly, And Vigorous.
The deficiency of one of the fore teeth of the
upper jaw, mentioned by Dampier, we have seen in
Almost the whole of the men;
but their organs of sight so far from being defective, as that author mentions
those of the inhabitants of the western side of the continent to be,
are remarkably quick and piercing. Their colour, Mr. Cook is inclined to think
rather a deep chocolate, than an absolute black, though he confesses,
they have the appearance of the latter, which he attributes to the greasy filth
their skins are loaded with. Of their want of cleanliness we have had
sufficient proofs, but I am of opinion, all the washing in the world would not
render them two degrees less black than an African negro. At some of our
first interviews, we had several droll instances of their mistaking
the Africans we brought with us for their own countrymen.
Notwithstanding the disregard they have invariably shewn for all the finery
we could deck them with, they are fond of adorning themselves with scars,
which increase their natural hideousness. It is hardly possible to see
any thing in human shape more ugly, than one of these savages thus scarified,
and farther ornamented with a fish bone struck through the gristle of the nose.
The custom of daubing themselves with white earth is also frequent among
both sexes: but, unlike the inhabitants of the Islands in the Pacific Ocean,
they reject the beautiful feathers which the birds of their country afford.
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