until the sentinel was removed. He then came on board, and suffered his wound to be examined and dressed, trembling and staring around him, like one in the greatest terror. We were gratified to find that the wound was not so severe as was to have been apprehended, the ball having passed through the fleshy part of his hand, between the thumb and forefinger, without breaking any bones, and probably without inflicting upon him a serious injury. When his wound was dressed, and he received a few presents of old iron, &c., to him invaluable, he left us, and jumped from one canoe to another, with the activity of a monkey, holding up his treasure, and talking with great vehemence, apparently delighted with his good fortune. The natives had nothing to exchange with us but a few mats, some of which were finely wrought, cocoa-nuts, bone and shell ornaments, and fishing-hooks, for which we gave them, in return, pieces of iron hoops, or old nails. We witnessed several instances of dishonesty amongst them, as well as their entire want of confidence in us. Whenever one of them presented any thing for exchange, he held it firmly grasped in his hand, until he received his pay with the other; and if he first obtained the old nail or iron hoop, without the person, with whom he was trading, getting firmly hold of his mat or whatever it might be, he was sure to keep both. Every man carried a long spear, and some of them a short weapon, slightly curved like a sword. Their spears were from eight to twelve feet long, some of which had one and some two branches near the end. They were pointed with the hard bone of a large fish, and, from one to two feet from the point, covered with rows of shark's teeth, that were immoveably fixed by a neat moulding of twine passing through the teeth, and round the spear. The short weapons were armed in the same manner all over, except a small part left for the grasp of the hand. Both were formidable weapons, and capable of inflicting a mortal wound. A few of them wore dry wreaths of cocoa-nut leaves round their brows, which were the only kind of covering we saw any of them have about their heads, and as the instances were rare, we thought it probable that they were chiefs. The dress for their loins consisted of two pieces, one of which was composed of a few plaited leaves, next to the skin, and the other consisted of a mat, from two to three feet wide, and four long, beautifully fringed at the bottom, and which served, not only as a pretty ornament, but was useful as a protection against the flies, which almost everywhere amongst these islands are very troublesome. They were strong and robust looking men, of a very dark copper colour, and most of them, particularly the old men, covered with scars, that they gave us to understand were occasioned by wounds from their spears and daggers. They wore their hair long, and in disagreeable looking matted locks. None of them had heavy beards, and in general but little.