who was exceedingly vexed at this imprudence, ordered the fellow to take it back to the place he had stolen it from; but, the natives being close at his heels, he threw the skull on the sand, plunged into the water, and reached the boat.
Having shoved off a little, we lay on our oars, and endeavoured, as well as we could, to explain to them, that the individual who had acted so reprehensibly, should be punished. They appeared pacified, and made signs for us to land; but, as the canoe was fast approaching, and as we had committed a fault—perhaps desecrated one of their holy places—we declined accepting their apparently earnest invitation. We therefore made sail, and kept as close to the wind as we could, that we might weather the canoe, which was now drawing very near. We succeeded in doing so; and, notwithstanding the clamorous endeavours of the natives to entice us on board, kept our luff, and invited them to accompany us to the ships, where they would be liberally supplied with torrè. They followed us for some time, but, not being able to draw to windward (although, with the wind abaft the beam, the canoe sailed far better than our gig), they made for the shore, and we reached the shipping without any accident[1].
During the day, great numbers of the natives were on the beach, and in the water, making all possible signs for us to come on shore, but none of them came on board. We saw no canoes, which, it appeared, were kept only on the south-west side of the Island.
After dinner, three boats (one from each ship), with the same party, well-armed, in case of accidents, went on shore. The native (Madiēa), who had evinced so much anxiety for our
- ↑ Their canoes (observes Captain Flinders) have two masts, opposite to each other, and a sail extended between them; but when going with a side wind, the lee mast is brought aft by a backstay, and the sail then stands obliquely. In other words, they brace up by setting in the head of the lee mast, and perhaps the foot also; and can then lie within seven points of the wind, and possibly nearer. No boats could have been manoeuvred better, in working to windward, than were these long canoes, by the naked savages.
