After I Had Dispatched Paowang, I Returned To Wha-A-Gou And His Friends,
Who Were Still For Detaining Me.
They seemed to wait with great impatience
for something, and to be unwilling and ashamed to take away the two dogs,
without making me a return.
As night was approaching, I pressed to be gone;
with which they complied, and so we parted.
The preceding day, Mr Forster learnt from the people the proper name of the
island, which they call Tanna; and this day I learnt from them the names of
those in the neighbourhood. The one we touched at last is called Erromango;
the small isle, which we discovered the morning we landed here, Immer; the
Table island to the east, discovered at the same time, Erronan or Footoona;
and an island which lies to the S.E. Annattom. All these islands are to be
seen from Tanna.
They gave us to understand, in a manner which I thought admitted of no
doubt, that they eat human flesh, and that circumcision was practised among
them. They began the subject of eating human flesh, of their own accord, by
asking us if we did; otherwise I should never have thought of asking them
such a question. I have heard people argue, that no nation could be
cannibals, if they had other flesh to eat, or did not want food; thus
deriving the custom from necessity. The people of this island can be under
no such necessity; they have fine pork and fowls, and plenty of roots and
fruits. But since we have not actually seen them eat human flesh, it will
admit of doubt with some, whether they are cannibals.[4]
When I got on board, I learnt that, when the launch was on the west side of
the harbour taking in ballast, one of the men employed in this work, had
scalded his fingers in taking a stone up out of some water. This
circumstance produced the discovery of several hot springs, at the foot of
the cliff, and rather below high-water mark.
This day Mr Wales, and two or three of the officers advanced a little, for
the first time, into the island. They met with a small straggling village,
the inhabitants of which treated them with great civility; and the next
morning Mr Forster and his party made another excursion inland. They met
with several fine plantations of plantains, sugar-canes, yams, &C.; and the
natives were courteous and civil. Indeed, by this time, the people,
especially those in our neighbourhood, were so well reconciled to us, that
they shewed not the least dislike at our rambling about in the skirts of
the woods, shooting, &c. In the afternoon some boys having got behind
thickets, and having thrown two or three stones at our people who were
cutting wood, they were fired at by the petty officers present on duty.
Being ashore at that time, I was alarmed at hearing the report of the
musquets, and seeing two or three boys run out of the wood.
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