Two Steps, Likewise Of Coral Rock, Led Up To
This Part, In The Midst Of Which A House Was Situated, Exactly Like
That Which We Saw At Ea-Oonhe," &C. - G.F.
[3] "We continued our walk through the plantations, and met with very
few inhabitants, they being almost all gone towards the trading-place.
Those we saw passed by us, or continued their occupations without
stopping on our account.
Neither curiosity nor distrust and jealousy
excited them to prohibit our farther progress; on the contrary, they
always spoke in a kind tone to us, which sufficiently characterized
their disposition. We looked into many of the houses and found them
empty, but always laid out with mats, and delightfully situated among
odoriferous shrubs. Sometimes they were separated from the plantations
by a little fence, through which a door, like those of Ea-oowhe, gave
admittance, which could be shut on the inside. In that case only the
area, which this fence inclosed around the hut, was planted with the
odoriferous grove, which is so much in request with the natives. A
walk of three miles, brought us to the eastern shore of the island,
where it forms a deep angle, which Tasman called Maria Bay. Where we
fell in with it, the ground sloped imperceptibly into a sandy beach;
but as we walked along towards the north point, we found it rose
perpendicularly, and in some places it was excavated and overhanging.
It consisted, however, entirely of coral, which is a strong proof of
some great change on our globe, as this rock can only be formed under
water. Whether it was left bare by a gradual diminution of the sea, or
perhaps by a more violent revolution which our earth may formerly have
suffered, I shall not venture to determine. So much, however, may be
assumed as a certainty, that if we suppose a gradual diminution of the
sea, at the rate which they pretend to have observed in Sweden (see
Mem. of the Swed. Acad. of Sciences at Stockholm), the emersion of
this island must be of so modern a date, that it is matter of
astonishment how it came to be covered with soil, herbage, and
forests; so well stocked with inhabitants, and so regularly adorned as
we really found it." "After a long walk, during which we missed our
way, and engaged one of the natives to become our guide, we entered a
long narrow lane between two fences, which led us directly to the
Fayetooca, or burying-place, we had left before. Here we found
Captains Cook and Furneaux and Mr Hodges, with a great number of
natives, seated on the fine lawn. They were in conversation with an
old blear-eyed man," &c. "From this place we returned to the sea
shore, where a brisk trade for vegetables, fowls, and hogs was carried
on," &c. "It was near sun-set when we returned on board with our
collection, and found the vessels still surrounded by many canoes, and
the natives swimming about extremely vociferous.
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