Page:Journal of the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Banks.djvu/173

Rh came on apace, but Dr. Solander and I walked along shore a little way, and saw an Ewharre no Eatua, the under part of which was lined with a row of jaw-bones. These, we were told, were also those of Ulhietea men. We saw also cocoa-nut trees, the stems of which were hung round with nuts, so that no part could be seen; these, we were told, were put there to dry a little, and be prepared for making poe. A tree of Ficus prolixa was in great perfection; the trunk, or rather congeries of small roots, being forty-two paces in circumference.

21st. Dr. Solander and I walked out this morning and saw many boat-houses like that described at Huahine (p. 111); on these the inhabitants were at work, making and repairing the large canoes called by them Pahie, at which business they worked with incredible cleverness, although their tools were as bad as possible. I will first give the description and dimensions of one of their boats, and then their method of building. Her extreme length from stem to stern, not reckoning the bending up of both those parts, 51 feet; breadth in the clear at the top forward, 14 inches, amidships 18, aft 15; in the bilge forward 32 inches, amidships 35, aft 33; depth amidships, 3 feet 4 inches; height above the ground, 3 feet 6 inches; her head raised, without the figure, 11 inches; her stern, 8 feet 9 inches; the figure, 2 feet. Alongside of her was lashed another like her in all respects, but smaller in proportion, being only 33 feet in her extreme length. The form of these canoes can be better shown by a drawing than by any description; the annexed may serve to give some idea of a section: a a is the first seam, b b the second, c c the third. The first stage, or keel under a a, is made of trees hollowed out like a trough. For this purpose they choose the longest trees they can find, so that two or three form the bottom of their largest boat (some of which are much larger than that described here, as I make a rule to