Page:Journal of the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Banks.djvu/269

Rh the high foretops in England, I was forward to declare it as my opinion that these were much the handsomest women we had seen upon the coast; but upon their near approach I was convinced that nothing but the head-dress had misled me, as I saw not one who was even tolerably handsome.

After dinner we went in the boat towards a cove about two miles from the ship. As we rowed along, something was seen floating upon the water, which we took to be a dead seal. It proved, to our great surprise, to be the body of a woman, who seemed to have been dead some time. We left it, and proceeded to our cove, where we found a small family of Indians, who were a little afraid of us, as they all ran away but one. They soon, however, returned except an old man and a child, who stayed in the woods, but not out of sight of us. Of these people we inquired about the body we had seen. They told Tupia that the woman was a relation of theirs, and that instead of burying their dead, their custom was to tie a stone to them, and throw them into the sea, which stone they suppose to have been unloosened by some accident.

The family were employed, when we came ashore, in dressing their provisions, which were a dog, at that time buried in their oven. Near by were many provision baskets. Looking carelessly upon one of these, we by accident observed two bones pretty cleanly picked, which, as appeared upon examination, were undoubtedly human bones.

Though we had from the beginning constantly heard the Indians acknowledge the custom of eating their enemies, we had never before had a proof of it, but this amounted almost to demonstration. The bones were clearly human; upon them were evident marks of their having been dressed on the fire; the meat was not entirely picked off them, and on the gristly ends, which were gnawed, were evident marks of teeth; and they were accidentally found in a provision basket. On asking the people what bones they were, they answered: "The bones of a man."—"And have you eaten the flesh?"—"Yes."—"Have you none of it left?"—"No."—"Why did you not eat the woman whom we saw to-day in